How the Guppy Got its Spots BIOL 3380 Musolf/Showalter – Fall 2018

Analysis of observational guppy data

This assignment will help your group identify potential hypotheses to investigate why male guppies vary in spot brightness. You will organize the
data you collected about the five locations in the SimUText simulation and identify patterns among the variables.

This is a group assignment that is worth 35 points.

Summarize your data

After completing Exercise 1 in the SimUText workbook, you will have information on the distribution of male spot brightness between the five
locations, as well as details about the abundance of each predatory fish, the type of substrate, and the availability of food.

Summarize your observations in the following table:

Location
Variable Upper West Lower West Upper East Lower East Meir Creek
Spot brightness mode (most frequent value)
Spot brightness range (maximum – minimum)
# of Rivulus
# of Cichlid A
# of Cichlid B
Type of substrate (sandy, muddy, or vegetative)
Food availability (high, medium, or low)

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 How the Guppy Got its Spots
BIOL 3380 Musolf/Showalter – Fall 2018

Identify patterns and develop hypotheses

The list of variables above includes two dependent variables (the ones about spot brightness) and five
independent variables (abundance of each predatory fish, type of substrate, and food availability). Your
job is to identify five distinct patterns between those variables. The questions below will guide you
through this process.

Pattern 1
1. Identify two locations that are similar in their values for at least one independent variable.

2. How do those two locations differ in their values for the other independent variables?

3. How do those locations differ in their values for spot brightness (mode and range)?

4. Combine your answers from #2 and #3 above, to develop a hypothesis statement.

Hypothesis format: Independent variable positively/negatively affects dependent variables.

5. Develop an evolutionary explanation for your hypothesis. Why might the independent variable
lead to the changes you see in the dependent variables? You will need to do some outside
research on these organisms to support your explanations.

Pattern 2
1. Identify two locations that are similar in their values for at least one independent variable.

2. How do those two locations differ in their values for the other independent variables?

3. How do those locations differ in their values for spot brightness (mode and range)?

4. Combine your answers from #2 and #3 above, to develop a hypothesis statement.

Hypothesis format: Independent variable positively/negatively affects dependent variables.

5. Develop an evolutionary explanation for your hypothesis. Why might the independent variable
lead to the changes you see in the dependent variables? You will need to do some outside
research on these organisms to support your explanations.

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 How the Guppy Got its Spots
BIOL 3380 Musolf/Showalter – Fall 2018

Pattern 3
1. Identify two locations that are similar in their values for at least one independent variable.

2. How do those two locations differ in their values for the other independent variables?

3. How do those locations differ in their values for spot brightness (mode and range)?

4. Combine your answers from #2 and #3 above, to develop a hypothesis statement.

Hypothesis format: Independent variable positively/negatively affects dependent variables.

5. Develop an evolutionary explanation for your hypothesis. Why might the independent variable
lead to the changes you see in the dependent variables? You will need to do some outside
research on these organisms to support your explanations.

Pattern 4
1. Identify two locations that are similar in their values for at least one independent variable.

2. How do those two locations differ in their values for the other independent variables?

3. How do those locations differ in their values for spot brightness (mode and range)?

4. Combine your answers from #2 and #3 above, to develop a hypothesis statement.

Hypothesis format: Independent variable positively/negatively affects dependent variables.

5. Develop an evolutionary explanation for your hypothesis. Why might the independent variable
lead to the changes you see in the dependent variables? You will need to do some outside
research on these organisms to support your explanations.

Pattern 5
1. Identify two locations that are similar in their values for at least one independent variable.

2. How do those two locations differ in their values for the other independent variables?

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 How the Guppy Got its Spots
BIOL 3380 Musolf/Showalter – Fall 2018

3. How do those locations differ in their values for spot brightness (mode and range)?

4. Combine your answers from #2 and #3 above, to develop a hypothesis statement.

Hypothesis format: Independent variable positively/negatively affects dependent variables.

5. Develop an evolutionary explanation for your hypothesis. Why might the independent variable
lead to the changes you see in the dependent variables? You will need to do some outside
research on these organisms to support your explanations.