Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are the most widely used genetic tool by molecular geneticists. The life cycle of a fruit ffy completes within a time span of 15 days. Calculate the death rate if 12 individuals in a laboratory population of 148 fruit flies died during a particular week.

Explanation

Death rate (d) `= ("Number of deaths per unit time ")/("average population")`
Death rate `(d) = 12/48`