A writeup about how female guppies use smell, as well as color, to decide about mates. Some surprises!
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2004/210/2
http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2004/210/2
smelly guppies!
- Thread starter mogurnda
- Start date
Dang--sounds interesting, but you have to be a member to view the article.
I recall reading something about males primarily using sight, and being more competitive if they could see another male, even if the female could not see it. The female in this experiment was in a tank independent from either male, and would make choices on sight alone...Interesting to think that odor is a component, but not really surprising.
I recall reading something about males primarily using sight, and being more competitive if they could see another male, even if the female could not see it. The female in this experiment was in a tank independent from either male, and would make choices on sight alone...Interesting to think that odor is a component, but not really surprising.
Sorry about that, the institution has a subscription so I forget that one needs to sign on.
Here's the text.
Good looks are nothing to sniff at, but if you're a male guppy in a murky stream, your body odor may be more important for attracting mates. Evolutionary biologists thought the female guppy always chooses her mate by his vibrant colors and swinging tail. But new research suggests that she may rely more on her nose when she can't see who's in the water.
The guppy, a freshwater fish from South America, is popular among aquarium enthusiasts and scientists alike. The male's dazzling colors and the female's promiscuity have proved valuable for studies of sexual selection. Because the good-for-nothing male does not provide any food, protection, or territories, the female must make up her mind based on his color (the more orange the better) and behavior (tail vibrations are definitely sexy). Or so scientists thought, until evolutionary ecologists Adam Shohet and Penelope Watt of the University of Sheffield, U.K., decided to poke their noses into the male fishes' body odor.
They constructed a T-shaped aquarium of opaque plastic with a male trapped behind wire gauze and invisible to the female in each arm of the "T." Water flowed along the males' bodies into the stem of the "T," carrying with it any male scents, including testosterone. In the far end of the stem, a female was released and allowed to swim up to one of the males. After 150 trials with different fishes, Shohet and Watt found that certain scents were clearly a turn-on. But further experiments turned up a surprise: The best-smelling males got the lowest scores for looks, and vice-versa.
Why so fickle? Shohet speculates that females may be picking the best mate for their environment. In clear water, good-looking sons will woo many females and pass on their mother's genes. But when the stream is murky, these dandies can't be seen, and aggressive, testosterone-laden males may be the better choice, because they are known to be better at finding females and forcibly mating with them. If the females can smell testosterone, he says, they could distinguish the pretty boys--which are known to have lower testosterone levels--from the uglier ruffians in the dark. Shohet and Watt publish their findings in this month's issue of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
Veteran guppy researcher John Endler of the University of California, Santa Barbara, agrees that this is one of several possible explanations. But whatever the explanation, he has always suspected that smell must be important for these fish and he's pleased that this new side of the guppy's sex life has finally been revealed.
--MENNO SCHILTHUIZEN
Here's the text.
Good looks are nothing to sniff at, but if you're a male guppy in a murky stream, your body odor may be more important for attracting mates. Evolutionary biologists thought the female guppy always chooses her mate by his vibrant colors and swinging tail. But new research suggests that she may rely more on her nose when she can't see who's in the water.
The guppy, a freshwater fish from South America, is popular among aquarium enthusiasts and scientists alike. The male's dazzling colors and the female's promiscuity have proved valuable for studies of sexual selection. Because the good-for-nothing male does not provide any food, protection, or territories, the female must make up her mind based on his color (the more orange the better) and behavior (tail vibrations are definitely sexy). Or so scientists thought, until evolutionary ecologists Adam Shohet and Penelope Watt of the University of Sheffield, U.K., decided to poke their noses into the male fishes' body odor.
They constructed a T-shaped aquarium of opaque plastic with a male trapped behind wire gauze and invisible to the female in each arm of the "T." Water flowed along the males' bodies into the stem of the "T," carrying with it any male scents, including testosterone. In the far end of the stem, a female was released and allowed to swim up to one of the males. After 150 trials with different fishes, Shohet and Watt found that certain scents were clearly a turn-on. But further experiments turned up a surprise: The best-smelling males got the lowest scores for looks, and vice-versa.
Why so fickle? Shohet speculates that females may be picking the best mate for their environment. In clear water, good-looking sons will woo many females and pass on their mother's genes. But when the stream is murky, these dandies can't be seen, and aggressive, testosterone-laden males may be the better choice, because they are known to be better at finding females and forcibly mating with them. If the females can smell testosterone, he says, they could distinguish the pretty boys--which are known to have lower testosterone levels--from the uglier ruffians in the dark. Shohet and Watt publish their findings in this month's issue of Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
Veteran guppy researcher John Endler of the University of California, Santa Barbara, agrees that this is one of several possible explanations. But whatever the explanation, he has always suspected that smell must be important for these fish and he's pleased that this new side of the guppy's sex life has finally been revealed.
--MENNO SCHILTHUIZEN
Hmmm.... that is interesting.... I hadn't considered that they based mate selection on anything other than sight. I'm glad they included the explantion on why they prefer one over the other depending on environment, it would have taken me forever to figure that out on my own.
I admit to chuckling though when I read
I admit to chuckling though when I read
....hmmmm.... why does that sound familiar?....did a woman write this article?
Didn't say anything about sitting around in their underwear, though.
I guess I thought it was interesting because we often think we have stuff figured out until we ask the right questions. People did experiments showing that females prefer males with more orange. Then it turns out that smell is important too, but in the opposite way.
tricksterpup
It's SPRING!!! BUNNIE RABBITS
This is very interesting artical, but does this also apply to Endler's livebearers? These guys tend to be brighter in coloration, to the point of almost neon like. From what I have read it was due to the fact the water in their local is very murkey and green. I am curious, if they also use scent as a selection of mates? Or have they adapted to do both?
But lets take this question a little bit more deeper. Do all Poeciliids do this? This would be a very interesting experiment to see unfold.
jim
But lets take this question a little bit more deeper. Do all Poeciliids do this? This would be a very interesting experiment to see unfold.
jim
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Should be easy enough to do, just set up a T maze and see if the females consistently go for a particular male.
I didn't realize females had much choice... I thought the males just try and breed with every female they see, and the female didn't want to breed at all.