Date of Award
5-2018
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biological Sciences - Ecology and Natural Resources: M.S.
Department
Biology
College
College of Science and Engineering
First Advisor
Anthony Marcattilio
Second Advisor
Heiko Schoenfuss
Third Advisor
Nathan Hampton
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
predation, stress, copying, behavior, fish, guppies
Abstract
Mate choice copying has been surmised to be an adaptive alternative mating strategy utilized by females of many species. However, studies have shown that domesticated variants of wild species no longer possess this evolutionary trait. To determine if this trait could be induced, domestic guppies (Poecilia reticulata) were exposed to predatory chemical cues for either 3- or 4-day periods. Female domestic guppies underwent preference testing (PT) followed by mate choice copying (MCC) trials pre-stress to establish baseline data and confirm an absence of MCC behavior. After pre-tests, females were placed in a stress tank where water from an aquarium housing a predator (Crenicichla saxatilis) was circulated throughout the tank. Females then underwent post-stress preference and mate choice copying tests. None of the females exhibited copying behavior in the pre-stress trials while a 25% incidence of mate choice copying post-stress was observed. The results of this study therefore indicate that predation stress via predatory chemical cues induces MCC behavior and strengthens the theory that this behavior is adaptive in wild populations.
Recommended Citation
Burski, Danielle, "Predation Stress Induces Mate Choice Copying Behavior in Domestic Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)" (2018). Culminating Projects in Biology. 32.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/biol_etds/32
