After reading the table below, answer the questions that follow.
Fish # | Female Preference Score |
Male Courtship Behavior |
Redness of Male Throat |
| (0-3) | (# per minute) | (0-10) |
1 | 0 | 1.75 | 5.00 |
2 | 0 | 0.28 | 5.00 |
3 | 0 | 0.00 | 7.00 |
4 | 0 | 0.74 | 5.00 |
5 | 0 | 0.11 | 3.00 |
6 | 0 | 1.20 | 4.00 |
7 | 0 | 0.28 | 6.50 |
8 | 0 | 0.49 | 5.50 |
9 | 0 | 1.55 | 6.50 |
10 | 1 | 2.57 | 7.50 |
11 | 1 | 6.48 | 7.00 |
12 | 1 | 1.89 | 7.50 |
13 | 1 | 0.48 | 5.00 |
14 | 1 | 0.14 | 8.00 |
15 | 1 | 8.04 | 7.50 |
16 | 1 | 0.38 | 7.50 |
17 | 1 | 3.81 | 8.00 |
18 | 2 | 8.23 | 8.00 |
19 | 2 | 10.00 | 6.50 |
20 | 2 | 11.07 | 6.00 |
21 | 2 | 1.87 | 6.50 |
22 | 3 | 3.30 | 6.00 |
23 | 3 | 12.93 | 7.00 |
24 | 3 | 12.72 | 7.50 |
Source: Data from http://datanuggets.org/2014/06/which-guy-should-she-choose/.
The data in the accompanying table are from an experiment seeking to determine why some male fish attract more females than others. A scientist scored females' preference for particular males from 0 (low) to 3 (high), the number of zig-zag courtship dances the males did for each female, and the intensity of the color of the male's throat, a trait that generally indicates sexual maturity. Which hypothesis is supported by the data in the table?
◦ Females prefer males that spend little time in courtship.
◦ Males generally spend more time courting females that show an interest in them (demonstrate a preference).
◦ The redness of a male's throat predicts how much a female is likely to prefer him.
◦ Male fish spend less than a minute courting females that do show a preference toward them.