Meeting Abstract

40.3  Sunday, Jan. 5 08:30  Do dominance and attractiveness of the male guppy go hand-in-hand? HUYGHE, K.*; VAN DAMME, R.; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium katleen.huyghe@uantwerpen.be

Sexual selection is driven by two mechanisms: male-male competition (intrasexual selection) and female mate choice (intersexual selection). These mechanisms are typically studied in isolation, and although they can be opposing, more often it is assumed that they are reinforcing. A two-fold approach was taken to compare the effects of artificial sexual selection on male traits in the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. We conducted male-male competition, and female mate choice experiments on a large number of individuals to determine the importance of male traits in assessing male dominance on one hand, and male attractiveness on the other hand. Phenotypic traits included size, number and colour of spots, melanic pigmentation, and a proxy for aggressiveness. Dominance and attractiveness experiments were organized using a tournament principle and extensive behavioural observations. The relative roles of the different traits in both mechanisms of sexual selection were quantified and discussed. Also, the outcome of the tournaments was linked to the variation in these traits.