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Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Success of Guppy Poecillia reticulata (Poeciliidae) at a Constant Temperature and in the Temperature Gradient Field

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Abstract

The sexual behavior of males and the reproductive success of the guppy Poecilia reticulata were studied under experimental conditions in a temperature gradient field of 24–28°С and at a constant temperature of 26°С. The intensity of courtship of males for females in the temperature gradient field was 1.6 times higher than at 26°С, while the structure of male sexual behavior changed: the frequency of manifestation of demonstrative forms of behavior and copulations increased. On average, the individual female fecundity was 19.0% higher in the temperature gradient field than in the constant temperature regime. Temperature fluctuations experienced by fish when exposed to a temperature gradient field had a stimulating effect on the intensity of male courtship and the reproductive success of guppies.

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  1. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    V. V. Zdanovich

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Correspondence to V. V. Zdanovich.

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Translated by D. Martynova

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Zdanovich, V.V. Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Success of Guppy Poecillia reticulata (Poeciliidae) at a Constant Temperature and in the Temperature Gradient Field. J. Ichthyol. 63, 969–974 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032945223050168

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