The phylogeny shows evolutionary relationships between guppies and five related Poecilia species. It notes whether each species has orange coloration in males and a female preference for orange. This information supports the hypothesis that orange spots in male guppies evolved through sensory exploitation, as the presence of orange coloration and female preference for it seems to have evolved together across species.

1. 2. The figure below portrays our current understanding of evolutionary relationships between the
guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and its closest evolutionary relatives (five other species of Poecilia;
picta, parae, latipinna, mexicana, and sphenops). Presence/absence of both orange coloration in
males and a female preference for orange is noted above each species. Does the information
shown in the phylogeny support the hypothesis that orange spots in male Poecilia may have
evolved via sensory exploitation? Briefly explain (4 points).