Female mate preference for a costly ornament in male guppies

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.