Experimental work on guppies suggests that variation in light between microhabitats is what makes females prefer different male signal combinations, thus explaining the evolution and persistence of colour variation in males.
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Seehausen, O. Beauty varies with the light. Nature 521, 34–35 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/521034a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/521034a
