SeaHarmony: Love is Closer Than you Think-Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) Mate Choices Based on Size and Color

Abstract

Poecilia reticulata is a popular research topic in biology to research mate choice in nature due to their varying size, color, patterns, etc. In this experiment, we will be researching the question: What color and size mate do male guppies prefer to mate with? Small or large? Gray, purple or orange? In this study, our control group is the gray-colored guppies. The study was conducted using 3D printed models of female guppies, printed in different sizes and colors. Our data was collected from past studies using the same procedures researching guppies’ mate choices to make our observations and to collect our final results. We predict that during these observations, the large, orange guppies will be the preferred mate for the male guppies. Our research found that overall the guppies’ preferred larger models over smaller, and preferred the brighter color orange, over purple and gray. This conclusion supports other research findings in this topic and leads researchers to new ideas on how to determine parameters affecting mate choice in guppies.