BIO

I am a second year undergraduate student at FSU majoring in cyber criminology. My hometown is Melbourne, Florida. I am interested in research that involves the use of technology and software to analyze and compile data. I also have an interest in research in the field of biological science and environmental science. I am expected to graduate in spring 2023, and I plan on working in the field of cyber security or digital forensics- hopefully for a federal agency or law enforcement department.

Genetic Rescue in guppies: Do migrant males have unusual color patterns that lead to rare male advantages in the wild?

Abstract

Genetic variation in nature is a perplexing phenomenon as natural selection should prioritize certain traits over others in a species. However, genetic variation within species is widespread, and can ensure the survival of populations and even species as a whole in case of environmental changes. Genetic rescue is a conservation method under study in which immigrant animals from one population are brought into small, inbred, and endangered populations in order to increase genetic variation and genetic diversity. A study was conducted where genetic rescue was applied to Trinidadian guppies. Migrant guppies from downstream pools were relocated upstream and allowed to migrate into upstream pools with their respective resident guppies. Female guppies have a preference to mate with males with rare color patterns and colors, in a process referred to as sexual selection. It was hypothesized that due to sexual selection, migrant and hybrid guppies would have better fitness than resident guppies. Images were taken of the migrant, resident, and hybrid guppies throughout the study. These images were then processed through Colormesh, a computer program written in R used for color analysis. The guppies were landmarked to create an average guppy shape. From this guppy shape, a triangulated mesh was applied to each of the images, and sampling points were determined from the mesh triangles. RGB color values were then extracted and calibrated from the sampling points, and this data was then compiled and compared. We predict that migrant males will have novel color patterns compared to their resident counterparts.

Keywords: Guppies, Genetic Rescue, Genetic Variation