Evolutionary Ecology: The Trinidadian Guppy (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution)

219 Pages·2005·1.73 MB·English

by  Anne E. Magurran

Evolutionary Ecology
Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution
Edited by Paul H. Harvey and Robert M. May
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Evolutionary Ecology:The Trinidadian Guppy
Anne E. Magurran
Evolutionary Ecology:
the Trinidadian guppy
ANNE E.MAGURRAN
University of St.Andrews,Scotland
1
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Printed in Great Britain
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ISBN 0–19–852785–3 978–0–19–852785–5
ISBN 0–19–852786–1 (Pbk.) 978–0–19–852786–2 (Pbk.)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In memory of
Vida Macrory
1919–2004
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Preface
This book seeks to capture the contribution that a small freshwater fish—the guppy,
Poecilia reticulata,has made to evolutionary ecology. Best known as a popular aquar-
ium species and as the subject of an Ogden Nash poem (‘...swans have cygnets,
seals have puppies,but guppies just have little guppies’) the guppy has also gained
prominence as a model organism in the overlapping disciplines of animal behaviour,
ecology,and evolution that together form the subject matter of this monograph. The
recent surge of interest in the species has been fuelled both by the recognition that the
guppy is uniquely placed to answer topical questions,and by its suitability for inte-
grated field and laboratory investigations. Indeed more than 50% of papers on guppy
evolutionary ecology have been published in the last decade. However,this work rests
on the solid foundation of research laid down over the last century. My book,there-
fore,is intended as a tribute to the early investigators who documented the patterns
and posed the problems that have stimulated successive generations of researchers.
My own research on guppies began when Ben Seghers introduced me to Trinidad.
I remain indebted to Ben for sharing his considerable knowledge of guppies with
me. Felix Breden, Gary Carvalho, Darren Croft, Christine Dreyer, Lee Dugatkin,
John Endler, Doug Fraser, Jim Gilliam, Jean-Guy Godin, Lorenz Hauser, Andrew
Hendry,Anne Houde,Michael Kinnison,Astrid Kodric-Brown,Jens Krause,Kevin
Laland, Robin Liley, Cock van Oosterhout, John Reynolds, Helen Rodd, Nilla
Rosenqvist,David Reznick,and Paul Shaw are just some of the many researchers in
the guppy community who have provided advice,encouragement,and ideas over the
years. Financial support has come from the Leverhulme Trust, the Natural
Environment Research Council,The Royal Society,and the University of St Andrews.
I am fortunate in having had excellent graduate students and postdocs and I thank
them for their insights into fish behaviour. They include Anette Becher,Anuradha
Bhat, Miguel Barbosa, Jonathan Evans, Jennifer Kelley, Siân Griffiths, Lorraine
Hawkins,Phil Irving,Anna Ludlow,Kit Magellan,Jerome Masters,Iain Matthews,
Alfredo Ojanguren,Charles Paxton,Lars Pettersson,Dawn Phillip,Helder Queiroz,
and Stephen Russell.
The Life Sciences Department at the University of the West Indies,St Augustine,
is my academic home in Trinidad. Mary Alkins-Koo, Peter Bacon, Grace Sirju-
Charran,Jake Kenny,Dawn Phillip,Rajindra Mahabir,Indar Ramnarine,and Chris
Starr have made me welcome and have generously provided facilities and hospitality.
viii • Preface
Indar has been unfailingly supportive while Raj’s field expertise has played a crucial
role in many investigations.
Other friends and colleagues who have helped in diverse ways include John
Armstrong,Jerry Coyne,Nalini Dass,Marian Dawkins,Sean Earnshaw,Jeff Graves,
Peter Henderson, Felicity Huntingford, Ian Johnston, Constantino Macías-Garcia,
Isobel Maynard, Manfred Milinski, Francis Morean, Martin Nowak, Geoff Parker,
Linda Partridge,Gerard and Oda Ramsawak,Henry Rae,Mike Ritchie,Peter Slater,
and Victoria Soo Poy.
Christine Dreyer, Jonathan Evans, Doug Fraser, Jennifer Kelley, Tino Macías-
Garcia,and Indar Ramnarine commented on the draft:mistakes and omissions that
remain are entirely my own responsibility.
Finally,I wish to express my gratitude to Paul Harvey and Bob May for encouraging
me to write this book and for reading the manuscript,to Keith Horne for his support,
and to Ian Sherman for making it happen.
Anne Magurran
St Andrews
Contents
1 Preview 1
1.1 Evolutionary ecology in the context of this book 3
1.2 A primer of guppy biology 3
1.2.1 Nomenclature 3
1.2.2 Taxonomy and phylogeny 3
1.2.3 Distribution 4
1.2.4 Ecology 7
1.2.5 Reproduction 7
1.2.6 Life-history patterns 8
1.3 Overview of the book 9
2 Ecology of the guppy in Trinidad 11
2.1 What makes Trinidad special? 13
2.2 Predators 13
2.2.1 Fish predators 15
2.2.2 Composition of fish assemblages 24
2.2.3 Avian predators 24
2.2.4 Other vertebrates 27
2.2.5 Invertebrate predators 27
2.3 ...and productivity 29
2.4 Feeding behaviour of the guppy 30
2.5 Parasites 33
2.6 Dynamical aspects of ecology—variation over time as well as space 34
2.6.1 Density 34
2.6.2 Sex ratio 35
2.7 Geographical variation in guppy traits 39
2.8 Conclusions 40