Should we stay or should we go? KBS researchers study guppies to discover motivations for travel

“Traveling can be dangerous and it takes energy. Given all the risks, why do things move around at all?”

Borges

The question posed by W.K. Kellogg Biological Station researcher and Michigan State University assistant professor Sarah Fitzpatrick is at the core of a recent study by her, KBS graduate student Isabela Borges, and colleagues.

In the study, published in Ecology Letters, Borges and Fitzpatrick tattooed and monitored some 1,300 Trinidadian guppies and tracked their movements in their home streams.

Tattooed and on the move

The behavior of the guppies, described by Fitzpatrick as “the fruit flies of the vertebrate world,” provides some insight into the question of why some individuals take the risk of traveling to pursue life elsewhere.

Fitzpatrick

A main takeaway from the study according to Borges, the study’s lead author: “We see that males move more and that males benefit more from moving.” Female guppies, however, moved less—and the ones who did move saw no apparent benefits to relocation.

“Although this is a study of one species, there are many broader theories that can be informed by it,” said Borges. “For example, we expect to see this behavior in other species that don’t have male parental care.”

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