Abstract

Water pollution is when chemicals or other detrimental materials contaminate a body of water. It can be very detrimental and is especially harmful, sometimes fatal, to many organisms when it is consumed. This project aims to determine how NPK fertilizer, which is commonly used fertilizer in the agricultural industry, one of the most prominent causes of water pollution around the globe, affects the motor capabilities and development of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster, a species that shares great genetic similarity to humans. After conducting research, it was hypothesized that if NPK, all purpose fertilizer is tested on Drosophila melanogaster, then the fertilizer will have a negative effect on the development and motor capabilities of Drosophila melanogaster. Three assays were used to determine the effects, a larval crawling assay, a locomotor assay for larval peristalsis contractions, and a rapid iterative negative geotaxis (RING) assay. After analysis, the data from these assays showed that the pollutant did have a negative effect on the motor capabilities and development of the drosophila, thus supporting the hypothesis. This means that water pollution could have similar effects on humans, because of their genetic similarity to drosophila. These results could be helpful in many countries all over the world, especially low-income countries with poor sanitation and filtration systems, as it indicates how detrimental water pollution’s effects can be on the people there.