Phenotype-dependent social associations among male sexual rivals in a polygamous fish, the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata)
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Recent theory predicts that males should choose the social context that maximizes their relative attractiveness to females while minimizing sperm competition risk. By preferentially associating with less attractive and less competitive sexual rivals, a male may increase his reproductive success. Using the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata), I tested for non-random social associations among males in mixed-sex groups based on two phenotypic traits (body length, body colouration) that predict relative sexual attractiveness to females. In a dichotomous-choice test, focal males exhibited a significant preference for mixed-sex groups that included a less colourful and smaller male rival, thereby potentially increasing their relative attractiveness, as predicted. However, this preference was not expressed in nature. Males in mixed-sex shoals in a natural stream population in Trinidad were not assorted by either body length or colour, perhaps owing to constraints placed on preferred social associations by sexual conflict and the fission-fusion nature of guppy shoals.
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Copyright © 2014 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, research, scholarship, and teaching. Theses may only be shared by linking to Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be used without proper attribution to the author. No part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
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