Data from: Ejaculate investment differs by population, but not wing morph or perceived sperm competition risk, in Pacific field crickets
Data files
Nov 05, 2025 version files 1.91 GB
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Individual_Songs.zip
75.20 KB
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qPCR_Results_Master_wide.csv
14.36 KB
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README.md
3.59 KB
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SFP_Data_Analysis_CommentedForDryad.R
12.12 KB
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Synthetic_Toceanicus_Chorus_-_Kauai_and_Oahu_mix_-_12_hrs_-_corrected.wav
1.91 GB
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Toceanicus_SFP_Acoustic_Treatment_Generation.m
14.96 KB
Abstract
We raised crickets from two populations in Hawaii (O'ahu and Kaua'i) and two wing morphs (flatwing males, which cannot sing; and normal-wing males, which can sing), under conditions of perceived sperm competition risk (presence of male advertisement song) or its absence (quiet). In adulthood, males were euthanized, frozen, measured for body size and mass; their accessory glands (which produce seminal fluid) were dissected out and preserved for quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. We examined the effects of population, wing morph, and presence or absence of perceived sperm competition risk on male testes mass and production of three seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) implicated in male paternity success. The dataset includes a spreadsheet reporting data, including: male population of origin, wing morph, experimental acoustic treatment (song present or absent), body mass, pronotum width, and qPCR values for each of the three SFPs. It also includes R code used to analyze the data and generate the figures. Finally, it includes acoustic files and MATLAB code that were used to generate the stimulus we used to experimentally induce the perceived threat of sperm competition.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.fttdz0969
Description of the data and file structure
We studied seminal fluid expression in Pacific field crickets (Teleogryllus oceanicus) from Hawaii using quantitative PCR. We manipulated the presence and absence of song as a cue about sperm competition risk and replicated the study in males of two morphs (normal-wing and flatwing), populations (O'ahu and Kaua'i). We used a synthetic chorus; individual songs used to make the chorus, as well as MATLAB code to assemble a synthetic chorus, are provided.
Files and variables
File: qPCR_Results_Master_wide.csv
Description:
Variables
- ID: The cricket's ID number. Numbers beginning with O denote crickets from O'ahu while numbers beginning with W denote males from Wailua, Kaua'i.
- Plate: The number of the plate/batch this cricket was processed with.
- CTMean_Actin: Mean cycle threshold value for actin, the housekeeping gene.
- CTMean_Gene1262: Mean cycle threshold value for isotig1262.
- DeltaCTMean1262: Difference in CTMean between this gene and actin.
- TwoToMinusDCT1262: Transformed CTMean value according to convention (2^-DeltaCTMean)
- CTMean_Gene11709: Mean cycle threshold value for isotig1709.
- DeltaCTMean1709: Difference in CTMean between this gene and actin.
- TwoToMinusDCT1709: Transformed CTMean value according to convention (2^-DeltaCTMean)
- CTMean_Gene1832: Mean cycle threshold value for isotig1832.
- DeltaCTMean1832: Difference in CTMean between this gene and actin.
- TwoToMinusDCT1832: Transformed CTMean value according to convention (2^-DeltaCTMean)
- Population: The cricket's population of origin, either O'ahu or Kaua'i.
- AcousticTreatment: The presence or absence of synthetic cricket chorus (cue about sperm competition risk) in the environment during development. Possible values are Song (present) and NoSong (absent).
- Morph: Male wing morph. Possible values are normal-wing or flatwing.
- AgeDAE: The cricket's age in days after eclosion. We sacrificed all males on Day 14 after eclosion, so all of these values are 14.
- Pronotum width (mm) 1: Measurement of the pronotum width in millimeters by observer 1.
- Pronotum width (mm) 2: Measurement of the pronotum width in millimeters by observer 2.
- BodyMass_mg: The cricket's body mass in milligrams.
- TestesMass_mg: The cricket's testes mass in milligrams.
File: SFP_Data_Analysis_CommentedForDryad.R
Description: The R script used to produce the analyses used in the manuscript. Comments are provided to explain each section. Includes figure generation code.
File: Individual_Songs.zip
Description: A compressed file containing all the individual songs made to mimic songs with O'ahu and Kaua'i population-specific properties. These songs were used to generate the synthetic cricket chorus.
File: Synthetic_Toceanicus_Chorus_-_Kauai_and_Oahu_mix_-_12_hrs_-_corrected.wav
Description: A .wav file containing 12 hours of synthetic chorus (1 unique hour looped to create a 12 hour stimulus).
File: Toceanicus_SFP_Acoustic_Treatment_Generation.m
Description: The MATLAB code used to create the 12-hour acoustic stimulus we used to manipulate perceived sperm competition risk.
Code/software
MATLAB version 2023b
R version 4.0.4 (2021-02-15) "Lost Library Book". All required packages are listed and loaded in the header.