Green with Envy: The effects of color change on male guppy (Poecilia reticulata) mating behaviors

Abstract

Guppies, Poecilia reticulata, are sexually dimorphic organisms which plays a critical role in distinguishing how the males react to the females (French 2017). For our experiment, we are testing the effect the color of a female 3-D printed model has on a male guppy’s sexual selection. Sexual selection is a variation of natural selection in which individuals are able to acquire mates (Hoefnagels 2014). Currently, researchers studying guppies are concentrating on their mating behavior to discover how courtships led to their evolution. They primarily have tested orange and purple (French 2017). We hypothesized that male guppies will be more attracted to our brightly colored green female guppy because it is bright just like orange and purple. This hypothesis was not supported by our results at the conclusion of our experiment.