A Wildlife Study Beside the Shops
Market Square is a busy city neighborhood with shops, food stands, and delivery bicycles. Two warm-water pools beside the square are home to guppies. These made-up records describe a practice wildlife study. The guppies are the same species, but their traits differ. Some males have bright color patches. Other males have duller color patches.
A wildlife team followed 10 bright males and 10 dull males in each pool. The males were similar in size. The team watched fish already living there; it did not move fish or add predators. Both pools had similar water temperatures and food supplies.
The open pool had few plants. Larger fish that eat guppies often visited it. The sheltered pool had thick plants where guppies could hide, and larger fish visited less often. The team checked both groups for four weeks. The graph shows how many of the starting males were still alive.
The team also made 12 separate mate-choice observations in the sheltered pool. In each observation, one female could swim near a bright male or a dull male of similar size. Nine females spent more time near the bright male. Three spent more time near the dull male. Spending time near a male can be a clue about mate choice. These observations did not record mating or the birth of young.