Fear, food and sexual ornamentation: plasticity of colour development in Trinidadian guppies.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of male ornamentation often reflects compromises between sexual and natural selection, but it may also be influenced by phenotypic plasticity. We investigated the developmental plasticity of male colour ornamentation in Trinidadian guppies in response to two environmental variables that covary in nature: predation risk and food availability. We found that exposure to chemical predator cues delayed the development of pigment-based colour elements, which are conspicuous to visual-oriented predators. Predator cues also reduced the size of colour elements at the time of maturity and caused adult males to be less colourful. To the best of our knowledge, these findings provide the first example of a plastic reduction in the development of a sexually selected male ornament in respon

SUBMITTER: Ruell EW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3619452 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature