Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: Reversible plasticity in the communication system of the cricket Gryllus rubens

Beckers, Oliver1

Published Nov 18, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5x69p8dj6

Data files

Nov 18, 2025 version files 39.82 KB

Click names to download individual files

Abstract

Animals display phenotypic plasticity that can lead to the evolution of novel traits. The evolutionary potential of plasticity is heightened if traits are involved that affect reproduction. It is typically not known if phenotypic changes due to plasticity are permanent or reversible. I tested whether the plastically induced changes in mating songs and song preferences of the cricket, Gryllus rubens were permanent or reversible. I reared males and females as juveniles until adulthood at one temperature (‘cool’ or ‘warm’), recorded males and tested female preferences for the songs, and then kept the animals for one week at the other temperature (‘warm’ or ‘cool’) and rerecorded males and retested females to test if the initially induced songs and preferences changed after exposure to the other temperature. The pulse rate of male songs increased significantly after increasing the rearing temperature from ‘cool’ to ‘warm’ and decreased significantly when decreasing the temperature from ‘warm’ to ‘cool’. Female preference changed significantly, and in parallel with the songs, i.e., female attraction for the ‘warm’ song increased, and that of the cool song decreased after increasing the rearing temperature from ‘cool’ to ‘warm’ for one week. Females displayed the opposite attraction pattern to the stimuli when reducing the temperature from ‘warm’ to ‘cool’. The here deposited files provide the raw data of the song recordings and female preferences and the applied statistical analyses of these data.