Flashy Fish : Data

1. If being flashy attracts predators, why are male guppies so colorful? 
They are colorful to look good for the lady guppies.

image source : http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/5026642191/sizes/m/

2. What do you think is responsible for the variation in color from one generation to the next? 
Natural selection

3. Select a hypothesis from the Sex and the Single Guppy Web activity or come up with your own and record it here. 
Predators are causing guppy populations to become more drab by preying on the most brightly colored individuals and eliminating them from the gene pool.

4. Next you will set up your experiment as directed in the simulation. Record your initial settings here.
Predator types and numbers: 30 rivulus Initial guppy population: mostly bright

5. Run your initial experiment for at least five generations and record your results here.
Number of guppies: 231
Number of generations: 6
Number of weeks: 102
Male color types: brightest, bright, drab, drabbest
Brightest male guppy: 70%
Bright male guppy: 20%
Drab male guppy: 7%
Drabbest male guppy: 2%

6. Was your hypothesis supported by your data? If so, why? If not, you may want to change your hypothesis and rerun your experiment.
No, my hypothesis was not supported by my data. The guppies multiplied like rabbits and the bright/brightest ones dominated over the others.

7. New hypothesis: Predators are causing guppy populations to become more drab by preying on the most brightly colored individuals and eliminating them from the gene pool.
Record your new data here.

My settings this time were mostly bright, and all 3 predators.
Number of guppies: a lot
Number of generations: 9
Number of weeks: 236
Male color types: brightest, bright, drab, drabbest
Brightest male guppy: 1%
Bright male guppy: 1%
Drab male guppy: 33%
Drabbest male guppy: 65%

8. Was your new hypothesis supported by your data?
If so, why? If not, redo. Yes, my hypothesis was supported by my data. All the bright ones basically died out and the drab ones multiplied like rabbits.

9. Summarize what you learned from your experiments.
I learned that it is better for guppies to blend in than brightly stand out. Even though sex selection seems more important than natural selection, the results say differently. Flashy Fish: Discussion Questions

1. Why do some guppies tend to be drabber than others? 
They’re adapting to blend in with their surroundings.

2. Why do some guppies tend to be more colorful? 
The bright colors attract females.

3. What role does color play in guppy survival? 
The brighter they are, the more they will attract predators. If they are drab, they won’t find a mate very easily, but they have less of a chance to get eaten.

4. Explain the push and pull that the environment has on the coloration of guppies in Endler’s pools. 
The brighter they are, the more they will attract predators. If they are drab, they won’t find a mate very easily, but they have less of a chance to get eaten.

Source : http://bails.wikispaces.com

Fancy Guppies Make Colorful Pets For Your Aquarium

Author: Lee Dobbins

As with many animal species, the male Fancy Guppies are more beautiful than the female Fancy Guppies. Males come in a large variety of bright colors, like red, gold, black, blue and green- while females tend to only have gray or tan colors. These fish look most beautiful in aquariums when you have several of them to swim together.

Fancy Guppies like warmer aquarium waters. You should keep your temperature set between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit, and consider adding a tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water in the tank. Most livebearers Guppies fair better with the salt added.

While Fancy Guppies can survive on just floating flake food and freeze dried bloodworms, they will become stronger and hardier if fed some frozen brine shrimp or Black Worms from time to time.

When you put Fancy Guppies into your aquarium, you'll want to keep twice as many females as male Fancy Guppies. You can add other fish that are compatible, including Small Tetras (Neons), Honey Gourami, Cory Catfish, Glass Fish, African Dwarf Frogs and Ghost Shrimp.

Many stores will try to sell Mollies and Guppies together, but most of the larger Mollies will attack Guppies and are not really compatible in an aquarium together.

You do not want to keep Swordtails and Platies in a tank with Fancy Guppies, either. They just do not get along. Guppies should be placed into aquariums with smaller tank mates.

Fancy Guppies have a short lifespan of about 3 years. The males grow to be about 2", and females will grow a little longer at an average of 2.5" long. Sometimes Fancy Guppies will have a longer lifespan with outstanding aquarium care, and there are even instances where the fish have gotten bigger than their average sizes.

When acclimating your guppies to the fish tank, be sure to float the bag they came in, in your fish tank water for 20 minutes then slowly introduce some of the fish tank water into the bag -little by litte before releasing them into the tank. This will give your new fish the chance to adapt slowly to it's new environment.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/fancy-guppies-make-colorful-pets-for-your-aquarium-101703.html

About the Author
Lee Dobbins writes for Fish Tank Guide where you can learn more about maintaining an aquarium as well as see photos of different types of aquarium fish like the fancy guppies