The effects of size on a female guppy’s ability to attract mates

Abstract

Sexual selection is described as the process in which some organisms have better adapted traits, which increase their reproductive success. Male guppies perform different mating strategies such as a sigmoid movement, fin fanning, gonopodial swings, and biting to attract the most physical fit female to produce off-spring (Lakey, 2015). We tested how different physiological, and behavioral factors such as size and fitness in female guppies affect sexual selection in males. To understand how size impacts sexual selection in males we first conducted a preliminary trial during week one, and used these trends to formulate our hypothesis. We then conducted ten trials week two and three with a large, and small neon orange female guppy. Our results show that there was not enough statistical evidence to show how female guppy size affects sexual selection in males.