Audience effects in the Amazon molly

Brandon S. Brown

My project uses the Amazon molly, Poecilia formosa, to analyze the effects of an audience on sexual behavior. The question I am trying to answer is do males and females adjust their sexual behavior due to the presence of other individuals? I will use different combinations of Poecilia latipinna males and females along with the P. formosa to documents the interactions among them. The results of my experience will help us to understand factors that allow the stable co-existence between a sexual species and an asexual, sperm-dependant associate.

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