Correlation between male Poecilia reticulata attraction to female guppy models based on movement.

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that male guppies are attracted to certain physical characteristics of female guppies such as color and size. While male guppies may prefer certain physical characteristics in a mate, we wish to understand more fully how movement affects male preference in mate choice. Just as males must move and express interest in a female companion, we hypothesize that male guppies will express more interest in a moving female guppy model than a stationary model. Using two large orange guppy models and a presentation apparatus, we found that movement in female guppy models decreased the likelihood of a male guppy attempting to court it and that there was a negative correlation between movement in the female and attraction from the male. The guppies spent more time on the stationary side and expressed more courting behaviors towards the stationary model.