Effect of a Gravid Spot on Mate Choice

Drake Stockard, Brooke Hoover, Gabby Perez, Ragan Roth

Abstract


Female fish have gravid spots on their underside that indicate she has reproduced before. We hypothesized that a female with a gravid spot would be more attractive than a female without because the male would know she is able to reproduce. We put two 3D printed female models (one with and without a gravid spot) in a tank with one live male guppy and observed the male’s behavior towards both females. To measure mate preference, we observed and logged courtship behaviors from the male guppy towards the female models. WE found that the fish with the gravid spot received more attention than the fish without. Therefore our hypothesis is supported by our data. However, Endler (2003) brings color into the discussion of mate selection that we did not account for, but was taken into consideration.


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References


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