I’m Hooked: The Effects of Phosphorescence Properties in Male Guppy Sexual Selection (Poecilia reticulata)

Abstract

Guppies, Poecilia reticulata, are particularly of interest to researchers because of their well-identified behaviors and mating patterns. The purpose of this study is to observe the mating strategies of male guppies with different female guppies to better understand preference among this species (French 2020). In our experiment, we tested different colorations for sexual selection and behavior among male guppies. We tested between the neon green, and glow-in-the-dark female guppies to compare how males interact in contrast to the warm gray female guppies. Throughout the experiment we recorded how the male guppy behaved when in between two different colored female guppies. Our hypothesis was that if phosphorescence affects the mate choice of guppies, then male guppies will prefer the warm grey and neon green female models over the glow-in-the-dark. Our hypothesis was not supported because the male guppy spent more time with the glow-in-the-dark female model compared to the neon green model. Using the Mann-Whitney U test, our data was found to be insignificant and further research is needed to conclude the preference of the male guppy.