Shake your tail fin: The effects of female mate size on sexual selection in male Poecilia reticula specifically to larger bodied females.

Abstract

Initial researched showed a plethora of studies conducted on female mate choice, but not much research on male mate preferences. Research on male Poecilia reticula, and on mating behaviors of this species led to the idea that a large orange female guppy model would be a more attractive mate choice. If male Poecilia reticula are exposed to two different sized female guppy models then the male guppy will display mating behaviors towards the larger of the two female models. Which was used as an explanation for the formation of the study. To implement experimental protocol on this hypothesis, two model female bodies guppies were used, one large 120009 and one small 120007, both with the color attribute neon orange. They were placed in an experimental tank and mating behaviors were recorded when the approach zones were penetrated by the male guppies. The male guppies were exposed to these female models in increments during the experimental period. Although it was thought that the male guppies would gravitate towards the larger bodied model and perform mating behaviors, this was not the case for the first half of the experiment, although it was for the second. The hypothesis was not well supported in this study although the average time spent in the approach zone was higher for that of the larger bodied female model (120009) there was not much mating behavior shown to the female bodied guppies. Future implications of research on this subject could involve a more controlled environment and a larger sample size to indicate correlation and support a hypothesis.