Data from: Predictable adaptive trajectories of sexual coloration in the wild: evidence from replicate experimental guppy populations

The question of whether populations evolve predictably and consistently under similar selective regimes is fundamental to understanding how adaptation proceeds in the wild. We address this question with a replicated evolution experiment focused upon male sexual coloration in guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Fish were transplanted from a single high predation population in the Guanapo River to four replicate, guppy‐free low predation headwater streams. Two streams had their canopies thinned to adjust the setting under which male coloration is displayed and perceived. We assessed evolutionary divergence using second‐generation lab‐bred offspring of fish sampled four to six years following translocation. A prior experiment of the same design, performed in an adjacent drainage, resulted in the evolution of more extensive orange, black and iridescent markings. We however found evidence for expansion only in structural coloration (iridescent blue/green), no change in orange, and a reduction in black. This response amplifies earlier findings for Guanapo fish, revealing that trajectories of color elaboration differ among drainages. We also found that color phenotypes evolved more greatly at the thinned‐canopy sites. Our findings support the predictability of sexual trait evolution in the wild, and underscore the importance of signaling conditions and ornamental starting points in shaping adaptive trajectories. Usage Notes Raw Data EVO-18-0005Body size and color patch size for individual guppies from the Guanapo River and four experimental headwater sites.

在相似的选择压力条件下，种群能否实现可预测且持续的演化，这一问题是理解野外适应性演化进程的核心议题。我们以孔雀鱼（Poecilia reticulata）的雄性性体色为研究对象，开展重复演化实验以解答该问题。实验所用孔雀鱼取自瓜纳波河（Guanapo River）的单一高捕食压力种群，随后被移植至四个无孔雀鱼的低捕食压力源头溪流中作为重复实验组。其中两条溪流的树冠被疏伐，以调整雄性体色展示与感知的环境条件。我们通过移植后4至6年采集的孔雀鱼个体，以其第二代实验室繁育后代为材料，评估了其演化分化程度。此前在相邻流域开展的同设计实验中，实验种群演化出了更为丰富的橙色、黑色与虹彩斑纹。但本研究仅发现结构色（structural coloration）出现了扩展，橙色斑纹未发生显著变化，而黑色斑纹则出现了减少。这一结果补充了此前针对瓜纳波河孔雀鱼的研究发现，表明不同流域间的体色强化演化轨迹存在差异。我们还观察到，树冠疏伐位点的体色表型演化程度更高。本研究结果支持野外中性状演化的可预测性，并强调了信号传导环境与装饰性状起始状态在塑造适应性演化路径中的重要性。使用说明 原始数据 EVO-18-0005：来自瓜纳波河与四个实验源头溪流的个体孔雀鱼的体型与色斑面积数据。