Guppy Simulation

1. Guppies are colorful to attract other mates.

2. Common name- guppy or millions fish. Scientific name- Poecilia reticulate. Sex- male. Size- 1.4" (~3.5cm). Origin: Venezuela.

3. Predator. Common name- blue acara. Scientific name- Aequidens pulcher. Size- up to 7" (~18cm). Distribution- Trinidad and Latin America.

4. Conditions that would affect the predator's population in a dam (our location) would be the restricted mobility. This is a haven for guppy populations.

5. John Endler was an evolutionary biologist. He studied wild guppies in Trinidad.

6. Coloration description:

Pool 1: Brightly multi-colored with large spots.

Pool 2: Medium coloration on body and tail, with medium-size spots.

Pool 3: Drab coloration, very small spots concentrated near tail.

7. If we do different simulations, then the one with the dam will have the greatest amount of coloration because the predators lose mobility, making it easier for the guppy population to survive.

	% of Brightest Guppies (10 generations)	% of Bright Guppies (10 generations)	% of Drab Guppies (10 generations)	% of Drabbest Guppies (10 generations)
Trial 1 Guppy: Even Mix Predators: 30 Rivulus	10	82	4	5
Trial 2 Guppy: Even Mix Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara	14	69	16	0
Trial 3 Guppy: Even Mix Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara, 30 Cichlid	9	4	12	75
Trial 4 Guppy: Mostly Bright Predators: 30 Rivulus	78	22	0	0
Trial 5 Guppy: Mostly Drab Predators: 30 Rivulus, 30 Acara, 30 Cichlid	0	3	6	92

8. Predators can easily influence guppy coloration. For example, if the predator prefers blue guppies, the predator can move in and kill off that color of guppy.

9. The hypothesis was supported because the table shows that there was variation with most trials, some guppies dominating above others at times.

10. It means that these male guppies live closely between the female guppies and the predators surrounding them.

11. The guppies in the three areas of the stream would have different coloration depending on the type of predator around them.

12. If drab guppies were placed in a stream with very few predators, then they will have a shot at surviving longer, but not that much longer. They were very defenseless and 'drabbest' usually had died out first.

13. If brighter guppies were placed in a stream with many predators, they would die out quickly, but not as fast as mentioned in question 12.