Our Question:
Does color matter to Betta splendens when choosing a mate?
Our Experiment:
What is our project:
We are testing Betta splendens to see if they have a prefrence for color when mating. We are using a tank set up for a sexaual dimporhic test to gather data which will show us what color female our male Betta splenden is more attracted to. We are experimenting with red and blue female & and male Betta splendens.
Why is this importnant:
We discovered lots of interesting things about Betta splenden that led us to choosing them to being our test subjects such as, how in the wild bettas are used to living in isolation such as puddles and other shallow water. They rarely have the opportunity to see other female Betta splendens and mate. The number of Betta splendens are quickly depeleding due to heavy supply and demand in captive fish tanks. The lack of oppurtunities for them to meet and mate with females is the other leading cause to their depletion. By learning their prefrences we will have an easier time brreeding them in captivity.
We are testing Betta splendens to see if they have a prefrence for color when mating. We are using a tank set up for a sexaual dimporhic test to gather data which will show us what color female our male Betta splenden is more attracted to. We are experimenting with red and blue female & and male Betta splendens.
Why is this importnant:
We discovered lots of interesting things about Betta splenden that led us to choosing them to being our test subjects such as, how in the wild bettas are used to living in isolation such as puddles and other shallow water. They rarely have the opportunity to see other female Betta splendens and mate. The number of Betta splendens are quickly depeleding due to heavy supply and demand in captive fish tanks. The lack of oppurtunities for them to meet and mate with females is the other leading cause to their depletion. By learning their prefrences we will have an easier time brreeding them in captivity.
Methods:
1. Split the tank in three section with glass dividers, and mark the middle third into another three sections
2. Acclimate all 3 fish for an equal amount of time
3. Place a male (blue) betta in the middle section of the tank
4. Place a red female betta on the left and a blue female on the right, labeling the marked third according to the color fish near it
5. Record the amount of minutes in which the male betta spends in each third (blue, red or neutral)
2. Acclimate all 3 fish for an equal amount of time
3. Place a male (blue) betta in the middle section of the tank
4. Place a red female betta on the left and a blue female on the right, labeling the marked third according to the color fish near it
5. Record the amount of minutes in which the male betta spends in each third (blue, red or neutral)
Our Hypothesis:
Original Hypothesis:
Our hypothesis is that the male betta will spend more time with the red pigmented betta
Alternative Hypothesis:
Our alternative hypothesis is that the male betta will spend more time with the blue betta
Null Hypothesis:
Our null hypothesis is that the male betta will be neutral and he won't spend as much time with either the red or blue betta.
Our hypothesis is that the male betta will spend more time with the red pigmented betta
Alternative Hypothesis:
Our alternative hypothesis is that the male betta will spend more time with the blue betta
Null Hypothesis:
Our null hypothesis is that the male betta will be neutral and he won't spend as much time with either the red or blue betta.
The Science:
We used the Nitrogen cycle to keep our tank clean. We were testing two days a week every week to make sure our nitrogen levels werent too high. We were also testign for our ammonia levels.
Our Trials:
Pre Trial:
We conducted a pre-trial to get the hang of how we should officially conduct this experiment. Through this trial we made a lot of mistakes and realized what we should and should not do. We even did a bad job recording the data so there is not much of that we can share. We also originally were gonna conduct the experiment in 15 minutes intervals, but after this we realized it was to much stress on the fish and unethical, so we cut it to 4 minutes. Our Other Trials: Trial #1, #2 and #3: Once we got the hang of it, the confounding variables were definitely decreased and we had an ethical way of conducting this experiment. During the first trial the betta was extremely flared, but seemed calmer throughout the rest of the experiments. |
Our Variables:
Independent Variable:
The color of the female Bettas we used in the experiment
Dependent Variable:
The thrid of the tank that the male spends the most time on
Controled Variable:
Tempeture, Food, Water quality, Tank, Enviroment, Same fish, Timing, Acclimation skills
The color of the female Bettas we used in the experiment
Dependent Variable:
The thrid of the tank that the male spends the most time on
Controled Variable:
Tempeture, Food, Water quality, Tank, Enviroment, Same fish, Timing, Acclimation skills
Our Results:
Our results showed us that our male betta spent more time with the red female betta, than any other section. This data completly supported our initial hypothesis. We can that asume that he was more fond of the red colored betta. However, there are a lot of variable within our project that we couldn't control that would affect the animals in ways that allow us to perceive the data diffrently. One of these variables was the male bettas agression and his isolated nature coming into effect.
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