What do orange spots reveal about male (and female) guppies? A test using correlated responses to selection.

ABSTRACT: Female preferences for male ornamental traits can arise from indirect benefits, such as increased attractiveness or better viability of progeny, but empirical evidence for such benefits is inconsistent. Artificial selection offers a powerful way to investigate indirect effects of male ornaments. Here, we selected for the area of orange spots on male guppies, a trait subject to female preferences in our population, in replicated up- and down-selected lines. We found a significant direct response to selection, and a correlated response in female preferences, with females from down-selected lines showing less interest in more orange males. Nevertheless, up-selected males sired more offspring in direct competition with low-selected males, irrespective of female origin. We did not find a signif

SUBMITTER: Herdegen-Radwan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9299167 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature