Fishing for a Mate: Guppy Attraction to Wide Orange Models

Abstract

There are many studies discussing female mate choice in Poecilia reticulata, however, male guppy sexual selection is far less studied. Due to research from many sources, we already knew that male guppies preferred females of warmer colors with larger wavelengths. However, we were curious as to how the body width of these female guppies affected the male’s courtship behavior. We hypothesized that the males would gravitate toward the wider model because of offspring producing ability. Following procedures given by French in the Biology 1114 manual, we used two orange models (one being wider than the other) to determine the attractiveness to the wider fish. Our results supported our hypothesis as the male guppy spent 191 more seconds on the side of the wider model. This is important to future studies because it helps to understand male mate choice.