Well, That’s Fishy… Does Color Matter? The study of Poecilia reticulata and mating selection

Abstract

This study tests and measures the response of a male guppy fish to various hues of female guppy fish. There are many factors that can influence both female and male selection processes. The hypothesis being tested is that the more vibrant a female fish is, the more interaction it will receive from the male (Tontz et al. 2021). The observations which led to this hypothesis is the large amount of guppy pigmentation variation. In order for us to test this we looked at past concluded studies to determine the preference that male guppies have for the color of a female. Our hypothesis was not supported based on the data we analyzed, for there was no clear indication that guppies with longer wavelengths have increased mating chances. The concluded results suggest that there is an evolutionary inter-competition of different female guppy variations when using hue to attract a mate. Suggestions of data results can be used to explain why some females are more vibrant in hue than others.