Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Female mate preference for a costly ornament in male guppies

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Female mate preference for dorsal fin length in male guppies (Poecilia reticulata) was investigated. In a dichotomous choice experiment using live males, females preferred males with longer dorsal fins to those with shorter dorsal fins. When the dorsal fin lengths of the two males were reversed by surgical manipulation, the females reversed their preference. To further examine this preference behaviour, a second dichotomous choice experiment was conducted using digitally modified male images that differed only in dorsal fin lengths. In this next experiment, females preferred male images with a longer dorsal fin than those with a shorter dorsal fin. In order to clarify the cost of possessing a long dorsal fin for males, the effect of dorsal fin length on swimming performance of males was also examined with a flow chamber. Male swimming performance was enhanced by surgically shortening the dorsal fin. The result of this study suggests that the long dorsal fin of male guppies is a costly handicap that may have evolved due to female mate choice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersson M (1982) Female choice selects for extreme tail length in a widowbird. Nature 299:818–820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson M (1994) Sexual selection. Princeton University Press, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson M, Simmons LW (2006) Sexual selection and mate choice. Trends Ecol Evol 21:296–302

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basolo AL (1990) Female preference for male sword length in the green swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri (Pisces, Poeciliidae). Anim Behav 40:332–338

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basolo AL (1998) Shift in investment between sexually selected traits: tarnishing of the silver spoon. Anim Behav 55:665–671

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Basolo AL, Alcaraz G (2003) The turn of the sword: length increases male swimming costs in swordtails. Proc R Soc Lond B 270:1631–1636

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berglund A, Bisazza A, Pilastro A (1996) Armaments and ornaments: an evolutionary explanation of traits of dual utility. Biol J Linn Soc 58:385–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bischoff RJ, Gould JL, Rubenstein DI (1985) Tail size and female choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 17:253–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brett JR (1964) The respiratory metabolism and swimming performance of young sockeye salmon. J Fish Res Board Can 21:1183–1226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks R, Endler JA (2001) Direct and indirect sexual selection and quantitative genetics of male traits in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Evolution 55:1002–1015

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bussière LF, Hunt J, Stölting KN, Jennions MD, Brooks R (2008) Mate choice for genetic quality when environments vary: suggestions for empirical progress. Genetica 134:69–78

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cothran RD (2008) Direct and indirect fitness consequences of female choice in a crustacean. Evolution 62:1666–1675

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cuervo JJ, Møller AP (2000) Sex-limited expression of ornamental feathers in birds. Behav Ecol 11:246–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David P, Hingle A, Greig D, Rutherford A, Pomiankowski A, Fowler K (1998) Male sexual ornament size but not asymmetry reflects condition in stalk-eyed flies. Proc R Soc Lond B 265:2211–2216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans JP, Zane L, Francescato S, Pilastro A (2003) Directional postcopulatory sexual selection revealed by artificial insemination. Nature 421:360–363

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Evans JP, Kelley JL, Bisazza A, Finazzo E, Pilastro A (2004) Sire attractiveness influences offspring performance in guppies. Proc R Soc Lond B 271:2035–2042

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher RA (1930) The genetical theory of natural selection. Clarendon, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher HS, Rosenthal GG (2006) Hungry females show stronger mating preferences. Behav Ecol 17:979–981

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hankison SJ, Childress MJ, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Ptacek MB (2006) Morphological divergence within and between the Mexican sailfin mollies, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia petenensis. J Fish Biol 68:1610–1630

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houde AE (1987) Mate choice based upon naturally occurring color-pattern variation in a guppy population. Evolution 41:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houde AE (1992) Sex-linked heritability of a sexually selected character in a natural population of Poecilia reticulata (Pisces: Poeciliidae) (guppies). Heredity 69:229–235

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houde AE (1997) Sex, color, and mate choice in guppies. Princeton University Press, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Houde AE, Endler JA (1990) Correlated evolution of female mating preferences and male color patterns in the guppy Poecilia reticulata. Science 248:1405–1408

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Houde AE, Torio AJ (1992) Effect of parasite infection on male color pattern and female choice in guppies. Behav Ecol 3:346–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houle D, Kondrashov AS (2002) Coevolution of costly mate choice and condition-dependent display of good genes. Proc R Soc Lond B 269:97–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K (2009) Sexual selection: signaling and courtship. In: Jamieson BGM (ed) Reproductive biology and phylogeny of fishes (Agnathans and bony fishes). Science, New Hampshire, pp 181–220

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Haijima Y (2001) Heritability of male secondary sexual traits in feral guppies in Japan. J Ethol 19:33–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Matsunaga J (2002) Female mate preference is for male total length, not tail length in feral guppies. Behaviour 139:1491–1508

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Sato A (2009) Male-biased sex ratios in offspring of attractive males in the guppy. Ethology 115:682–690

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Urano Y (2008) The relative importance of orange spot coloration and total length of males in female guppy mate preference. Environ Biol Fish 83:397–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Orita K, Sato A (2006) Long tails affect swimming performance and habitat choice in the male guppy. Zool Sci 23:255–260

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karino K, Shimada Y, Kudo H, Sato A (2010) Relative importance of the area and intensity of the orange spots of male guppies Poecilia reticulata as mating traits preferred by females. J Fish Biol 77:299–307

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kingston JJ, Rosenthal GG, Ryan MJ (2003) The role of sexual selection in maintaining a colour polymorphism in the pygmy swordtail, Xiphophorus pygmaeus. Anim Behav 65:735–743

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kodric-Brown A (1989) Dietary carotenoids and male mating success in the guppy: an environmental component to female choice. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 25:393–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kodric-Brown A, Nicoletto PF (2001) Female choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata): the interaction between male color and display. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 50:346–351

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokko H, Brooks R, McNamara JM, Houston AI (2002) The sexual selection continuum. Proc R Soc Lond B 269:1331–1340

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokko H, Brooks R, Jennions MD, Morley J (2003) The evolution of mate choice and mating biases. Proc R Soc Lond B 270:653–664

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozak HL, Cirino LA, Ptacek MB (2008) Female mating preferences for male morphological traits used in species and mate recognition in the Mexican sailfin mollies, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia petenensis. Behav Ecol 19:463–474

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langerhans RB, Layman CA, DeWitt TJ (2005) Male genital size reflects a tradeoff between attracting mates and avoiding predators in two live-bearing fish species. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:7618–7623

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • MacLaren RD, Rowland WJ, Morgan N (2004) Female preferences for sailfin and body size in the sailfin molly, Poecilia latipinna. Ethology 110:363–379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (2005) Evolutionary ecology: the Trinidadian guppy. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Møller AP (1994) Sexual selection and the barn swallow. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Møller AP, de Lope F (1994) Differential cost of a secondary sexual character: an experimental test of the handicap principle. Evolution 48:1676–1683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Møller AP, Jennions MD (2001) How important are direct fitness benefits of sexual selection? Naturwissenschaften 88:401–415

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nicoletto PF (1991) The relationship between male ornamentation and swimming performance in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 28:365–370

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicoletto PF, Kodric-Brown A (1999) The use of digitally-modified videos to study the function of ornamentation and courtship in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Environ Biol Fish 56:333–341

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ohlsson T, Smith HG, Råberg L, Hasselquist D (2002) Pheasant sexual ornaments reflect nutritional conditions during early growth. Proc R Soc Lond B 269:21–27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker TH (2003) Genetic benefits of mate choice separated from differential maternal investment in red junglefowl (Gallus gallus). Evolution 57:2157–2165

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Qvarnström A, Griffith SC, Gustafsson L (2000) Male–male competition and parental care in collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis): an experiment controlling for differences in territory quality. Proc R Soc Lond B 267:2547–2552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal GG, Evans CS (1998) Female preference for swords in Xiphophorus helleri reflects a bias for large apparent size. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:4431–4436

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal GG, Wagner WE Jr, Ryan MJ (2002) Secondary reduction of preference for the sword ornament in the pygmy swordtail Xiphophorus nigrensis (Pisces: Poeciliidae). Anim Behav 63:37–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe LV, Evans MR, Buchanan KL (2001) The function and evolution of the tail streamer in hirundines. Behav Ecol 12:157–163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rowland WJ (1989) Mate choice and the supernormality effect in female sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 24:433–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sato A, Karino K (2006) Use of digitally modified videos to examine female mate preference for orange spot coloration of males in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. Ichthyol Res 53:398–405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Short RV, Balaban E (1994) The differences between the sexes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Siefferman L, Hill GE (2003) Structural and melanin coloration indicate parental effort and reproductive success in male eastern bluebirds. Behav Ecol 14:855–861

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith EJ, Partridge JC, Parsons KN, White EM, Cuthill IC, Bennett ATD, Church SC (2002) Ultraviolet vision and mate choice in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Ecol 13:11–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stahlberg S, Peckmann P (1987) The critical swimming speed of small teleost fish species in a flume. Arch Hydrobiol 110:179–193

    Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi D, Kohda M (2001) Females of a stream goby choose mates that court in fast water currents. Behaviour 138:937–946

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Takahashi D, Kohda M (2004) Courtship in fast water currents by a male stream goby (Rhinogobius brunneus) communicates the parental quality honestly. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 55:431–438

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarof SA, Dunn PO, Whittingham LA (2005) Dual functions of a melanin-based ornament in the common yellowthroat. Proc R Soc Lond B 272:1121–1127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walther BA, Clayton DH (2005) Elaborate ornaments are costly to maintain: evidence for high maintenance handicaps. Behav Ecol 16:89–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winemiller KO, Leslie M, Roche R (1990) Phenotypic variation in male guppies from natural inland populations: an additional test of Haskins’ sexual selection/predation hypothesis. Environ Biol Fish 29:179–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Witte K, Noltemeier B (2002) The role of information in mate-choice copying in female sailfin mollies (Poecilia latipinna). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 52:194–202

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong BBM, Fisher HS, Rosenthal GG (2005) Species recognition by male swordtails via chemical cues. Behav Ecol 16:818–822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zahavi A (1975) Mate selection—a selection for a handicap. J Theor Biol 53:205–214

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zahavi A, Zahavi A (1997) The handicap principle. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to C. Gabor and anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on the earlier version of the manuscript and to M. Kojima and S. Yamamoto for culture maintenance. Financial support for this study was provided by Grant-in-Aids for Scientific Research (#19570015) to KK and for JSPS Fellows (#21-6850) to AS from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. All experiments comply with the current laws of Japan and the guidelines of the Animal Care and Use Committee of Tokyo Gakugei University.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Tokyo Gakugei University, Nukui-kita 4-1-1, Koganei, Tokyo, 184-8501, Japan

    Kenji Karino, Takatsugu Ishiwatari, Hiromi Kudo & Aya Sato

Authors
  1. Kenji Karino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Takatsugu Ishiwatari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hiromi Kudo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Aya Sato
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenji Karino.

Additional information

Communicated by C. Gabor

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Karino, K., Ishiwatari, T., Kudo, H. et al. Female mate preference for a costly ornament in male guppies. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 65, 1305–1315 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-011-1144-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-011-1144-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation