Male Coloration Preferences between Females of Sunburst and Rainbow Color Morphs

Male Coloration Preferences between Females of Sunburst and Rainbow Color Morphs

Presenter(s)

William Ogburn, Lindsey Litterer, Noah Jones-Beyene, Destiny Cratsenberg

Comments

Presentation: 10:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Kennedy Union Ballroom

Description

Xiphophorus maculatus, or the platy, have several linebred color morphs that have wide ranges of color that differ greatly from the wild type coloration. Brighter coloration in male livebearers has shown to affect mate choice in females (Kodric-Brown & Nicoletto, 2001). The females are shown to be attracted to the males who have the more colorful pigmintaiton. This study examined differences in male mate selection between two female color morphs, the sunset wag morph and the rainbow morph. We hypothesized that males will choose to spend time on the side of the tank of their own morph. This was tested by creating a tank with 3 chambers. A male was placed in the middle and females were placed in the outside chambers. BORIS was used to observe and track the time the male spent on each side and the orientation of the male throughout the assay. Behaviors like what side of the tank the males were on, if there was any orientation on a specific female, and any possible aggression were all recorded into BORIS. We found that males have a preference towards the side of the tank containing the female of the same color morph. The results of this experiment helped to further our understanding of mate selection based on color while also producing potential insights on how human line breeding can alter mate selection.

Publication Date

4-19-2023

Project Designation

Course Project 202310 BIO 330L 01

Primary Advisor

Jennifer Hellmann

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Practical Wisdom

Male Coloration Preferences between Females of Sunburst and Rainbow Color Morphs

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