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DTSTART:20150424T193000Z
DTEND:20150424T203000Z
SUMMARY:Dr Gita Kolluru
DESCRIPTION:Factors influencing mating behavior in poeciliid fishes



Gita Kolluru, PhD
Associate Professor
California Polytechnic State University



Abstract: Males of some poeciliid shes court females prior to copulation, whereas others perform sneak copulations only. Based on prior studies, the following predictions emerge: 1) in courting species, males should reduce conspicuous behavior including courtship, under risky conditions; 2) males in courting species should possess relatively short gonopodia to minimize costs and because selection favoring longer gonopodia is reduced; 3) specis
with courtship should be sexually dichromatic, and the coloration should be sexually selected. Our work focuses on the guppy (Poecilia reticulata), an extremely well studied, sexually dichromatic, courting species with short gonopodia, and Girardinus metallicus, a species about which little is known. We tested prediction 1) by examining guppy behavior in low and high light conditions. Courtship displays were reduced under risky high light conditions, but the equally conspicuous aggressive behavior was not inuenced. Females were less responsive to courtship under high light, suggesting that behavioral exibility is driven by the reactions of females, such that low light conditions represent high payo for males, rather than just low risk. We tested predictions 2) and 3)
by examining a morph of G. metallicus that had not been previously studied. We found that males possess long gonopodia, but are sexually dichromatic and exhibit courtship display, contradicting prediction 2). This may be because the gonopodium itself is part of the display in this morph. Consistent with prediction 3), the prominent ventral black coloration in these males appears to be sexually selected via male-male competition. Previous studies of poeciliids have aorded detailed information about a few species such as the guppy; however, understanding the breadth of diversity and phylogenetic patterns of trait evolution in poeciliids requires studies of lesser-known species.
LOCATION:4440Q Carleton Technology and Training Centre, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6
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