PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Genetic rarity rules in wild guppy population, study finds

Female guppies in Trinidad seek rare males as mates

2013-11-02
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Nicole Brooks
nbrooks@fsu.edu
850-645-1294
Florida State University
Genetic rarity rules in wild guppy population, study finds Female guppies in Trinidad seek rare males as mates TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When it comes to choosing a mate, female guppies don't care about who is fairest. All that matters is who is rarest.

Florida State University Professor Kimberly A. Hughes in the Department of Biological Science has a new study just published in the journal Nature that is the first to demonstrate a female preference for rare males using an experiment in a wild population, rather than a laboratory setting.

This study of genetic differences in male guppies is relevant to understanding variation in humans as well as in other organisms, Hughes said.

Hughes and her longtime collaborators studied guppies in Trinidad and found that male guppies with rare color patterns mated more — and lived longer — than the common males. The males' color variations are genetic and not due to diet or temperature. And the males' actual appearance didn't matter to the females, who are tan in color and do the choosing of mates.

"No matter which color pattern we made rare in any group, they mated more and had more offspring," Hughes said.

So, a male guppy common in one grouping, i.e., placed in a stream with many fish that look like him, is a dud to the females also in the stream. But, take that common male and place him in a different stream with only one or two others similar to him, and he's suddenly rare — and a desirable mate.

In an earlier study, Hughes showed that male guppies with rare color patterns had a survival advantage compared to those with common patterns in natural populations. During a three-week study, also in Trinidad, 70 percent of common males survived, while 85 percent of rare males survived.

This new study, "Mating advantage for rare males in wild guppy populations," reports the results of paternity analyses of the offspring produced by the females in that earlier field experiment.

Hughes approached this new, rare-male-as-mating-champ theory with the goal of ruling it out. She thought it was unlikely.

But, "We got a big, significant result," she said.

Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are an ideal species for this study, Hughes said, because the males' color variations are so visible and because there is so much variation. Other fish show color variation but not as widely as the guppy.

"These guys are sort of the champions of variation," she said.

And it's not that the rare males are simply trying harder to land a female. All male guppies do elaborate mating rituals, fanning out their fins and pursuing a mate.

The next question to answer, Hughes said, is why. Why do female guppies go for the rarest male in a particular population? It's possible that in choosing a mate who appears unknown to her, a female guppy is trying to avoid procreating with a relative, which can lead to genetic disorders in offspring.

The guppy question speaks to a longstanding puzzle within evolutionary biology: Why are individuals within species so genetically diverse?

Understanding why species are genetically diverse is key to understanding human variation in disease susceptibility, for maintaining healthy crop and livestock populations and for preserving endangered species, Hughes said.

###

Hughes' collaborators in this study are Anne E. Houde of the Lake Forest College Department of Biology in Lake Forest, Ill., and Anna C. Price and F. Helen Rodd of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their work was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

CONTACT: Nicole Brooks, FSU University Communications
(850) 645-1294; nbrooks@fsu.edu
or
Kimberly Hughes, FSU Department of Biological Science
(850) 645-8553; kahughes@bio.fsu.edu

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards

2013-11-02
Mindful individuals less affected by immediate rewards TORONTO, ON – A new study from the University of Toronto Scarborough shows that people who are aware of and their own thoughts and emotions are less affected by positive feedback from others. The study, ...

Synaptic transistor learns while it computes

2013-11-02
Synaptic transistor learns while it computes First-of-its-kind, brain-inspired device looks toward highly efficient and fast parallel computing networks Cambridge, Mass. – November 1, 2013 – It doesn't take a Watson to realize that even the world's best supercomputers ...

Bipolar and pregnant

2013-11-02
Bipolar and pregnant Bipolar drugs lose effect during pregnancy, so women need higher doses to stay well CHICAGO --- New Northwestern Medicine® research offers one of the first in-depth studies of how physiological changes during pregnancy reduce the effects ...

Study finds a patchwork of genetic variation in the brain

2013-11-02
Study finds a patchwork of genetic variation in the brain Salk scientists find a surprising degree of variation among genomes of individual neurons from the same brain It was once thought that each cell in a person's body possesses the same DNA code and that the particular way ...

Results of the GIANT trial reported at TCT 2013

2013-11-01
Results of the GIANT trial reported at TCT 2013 Genetic profiling may provide clinical benefit by identifying heart attack patients that are resistant to blood thinners SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 31, 2013 – According to a new study, genetic profiling of patients undergoing ...

Percutaneous repair of valve leaks: A new treatment for patients at high risk of cardiac surgery

2013-11-01
Percutaneous repair of valve leaks: A new treatment for patients at high risk of cardiac surgery PCI repair can mitigate known risks that accompany increases in implanted valves MINNEAPOLIS, MN—October 31, 2013—A Paravalvular regurgitation, or leakage, ...

Results of the TATORT-NSTEMI trial presented at TCT 2013

2013-11-01
Results of the TATORT-NSTEMI trial presented at TCT 2013 Removing blood clots during PCI does not improve outcomes compared to standard angioplasty in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 31, 2013 – According to a new study, ...

Results of the REPRISE II trial reported at TCT 2013

2013-11-01
Results of the REPRISE II trial reported at TCT 2013 Second generation transcatheter aortic valve shown to successfully address complications of TAVR SAN FRANCISCO, CA – THURSDAY OCTOBER 31, 2013 – In a clinical trial, a second-generation transcatheter aortic valve demonstrated ...

Experimental drug shows encouraging results in treating most common form of lung cancer

2013-11-01
Experimental drug shows encouraging results in treating most common form of lung cancer An experimental cancer drug that has shown promise in the treatment of melanoma has also shown early potential as an effective treatment for patients with non-small ...

Oligomeric proanthocyanidin suppresses the death of retinal ganglion cells

2013-11-01
Oligomeric proanthocyanidin suppresses the death of retinal ganglion cells The death of retinal ganglion cells is a hallmark of many optic neurodegenerative diseases such as glaucoma and retinopathy. Oxidative stress is one of the major reasons to cause the ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

No evidence that medications trigger microscopic colitis in older adults

NYUAD researchers find link between brain growth and mental health disorders

Aging-related inflammation is not universal across human populations, new study finds

University of Oregon to create national children’s mental health center with $11 million federal grant

Rare achievement: UTA undergrad publishes research

Fact or fiction? The ADHD info dilemma

Genetic ancestry linked to risk of severe dengue

Genomes reveal the Norwegian lemming as one of the youngest mammal species

Early birds get the burn: Monash study finds early bedtimes associated with more physical activity

Groundbreaking analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton’s capacity for change

Southern Ocean saltier, hotter and losing ice fast as decades-long trend unexpectedly reverses

Human fishing reshaped Caribbean reef food webs, 7000-year old exposed fossilized reefs reveal

[Press-News.org] Genetic rarity rules in wild guppy population, study finds
Female guppies in Trinidad seek rare males as mates