Figure 3.

The adult life history of D. melanogaster. The figure gives (very approximate) timelines for the major life-history events and stages, including reproductive maturation, reproductive activity, and the overall life span of female and male flies. The durations of the different events and phases are mainly based on values obtained under optimal, protected laboratory conditions; however, estimates can vary widely among studies (i.e., depending on laboratory conditions, populations and strains assayed, etc.) and might therefore not be representative of the situation in the wild. See main text for further details; see Figure 2 for a depiction of the preadult life cycle. Figure credit: Chloé Schmidt (University of Manitoba).