Data from: Nutritional geometry provides insight into the dual roles of natural and sexual selection in insect cuticular hydrocarbon evolution
Data files
Sep 23, 2025 version files 104.47 KB
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README.md
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Simmons_et_al_2025_CHCs.csv
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Simmons_et_al_2025.csv
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Abstract
Interactions between natural and sexual selection have been integral to the development of sexual selection theory, yet the role of natural selection in sexual trait evolution has received far less empirical attention than the role of sexual selection, and the extent to which natural and sexual selection are aligned remains an important empirical question. Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) provide a good model for exploring interactions between natural and sexual selection because of their dual roles in sexual signalling and desiccation resistance. We used the geometric framework for nutrition to explore the potential for, and magnitude of trade-offs between male attractiveness, desiccation resistance, and the abundance and blend of CHCs in the cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus. Attractiveness and desiccation resistance were both maximized on a diet that was rich in carbohydrate relative to protein. Although maximum expressions occurred at significantly different locations in nutritional space, the difference in angles between maximum attractiveness and desiccation resistance was small. Attractiveness and desiccation resistance were both associated with CHCs of moderate, rather than maximum, abundance and with a blend that was rich in two shorter-chained alkenes relative to a single longer-chained alkane. Partial correlations between fitness traits suggested that CHCs contribute indirectly to male attractiveness via their role in desiccation resistance. Our findings are consistent with the idea that natural and sexual selection on CHCs can be broadly aligned, facilitating rapid adaptation to ecological conditions and promoting speciation.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.70rxwdcbh
Description of the data and file structure
Files and variables
These files contain the data to reproduce the analyses presented in Simmons, L.W., Lovegrove, M., Foo, Y.Z., Du,^^ X.(B.), Ren, Y., and Melissa L. Thomas, M.L. (2025). Nutritional geometry provides insight into the dual roles of natural and sexual selection in insect cuticular hydrocarbon evolution. Functional Ecology.
File: Simmons_et_al_2025.csv
Description: For each case, a cricket was fed 1 of 24 diets (Diet, column A). The macronutrient composition of each diet can be found in Table S1 of the online supporting material available from the journal website. Within diets, each cricket was given an ID (column B) and its date of eclosion to adulthood noted (Eclosion_date, column C). Cricket weight was estimated in mg (Weight_at_eclose_mg, column D). The total weight of diet consumed during the experiment was measured (Total_amt_consumed_mg, column E), and the amount of protein (Protein_eaten_mg, column F) and carbohydrate (Carbohydrate_eaten_mg, column G) consumed was calculated from the % of each macronutrient contained in each cricket’s diet. The amount of protein and carbohydrate eaten was then divided by weight at eclosion to control for size effects of diet intake (P_mg and C_mg, columns H and I, respectively). The total number of days a cricket was given access to the diet was recorded (days_on_diet, column J) and used to calculate the intake rate of protein and carbohydrate as mg per mg of cricket per day (P_mg_day, column V; C_mg_day, column W), which were used in our analyses.
Crickets were assayed for attractiveness by providing them with a sexually receptive female each day for 5 days. The number of females courted (No_of_courtships, column K) and the number of courtships resulting in a mating (No_of_matings, column L) were used to calculate attractiveness as a proportion (Attractiveness, column N). The age of the cricket at the start of attractiveness assays is given (Age_at_assay_attractiveness, column M). Crickets were then assayed for their desiccation resistance. They were weighed (weight_in mg, column O) and placed in a hydrating environment for 48h before being re-weighed (weight_out mg, column P). We noted whether males died (0) or not (1) during the desiccation assay (Died_during_assay_0, column Q). Water loss was calculated as the weight difference (column O minus column P) (waterloss_mg, column R). Crickets were then dried to constant weight to obtain a measure of body mass (Dry_weight, column R) with which to calculate a size-standardized water loss, which was reverse scored to yield our measure of desiccation resistance.
Scores on the first and second principal axes for cuticular hydrocarbon data were used as measures of CHC abundance (PC1, column T) and blend (PC2, column U)
Empty cells indicate missing data because the individual had died. We assessed the effect of diet on mortality by noting whether a cricket died (1) or not (0) before the start of the attractiveness assay (died_before_start, column X).
File: Simmons_et_al_2025_CHCs.csv
Description: The file Simmons et al 2025 CHCs.csv contains data on the abundance in parts per million of each of 22 compounds (columns C-X) found in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Column names indicate peak number and compound ID (eg, 9_C31:2 refers to peak 9 in the CHC profile identified as C31:2). The first two axes of variation following a principal components analysis are provided in columns Y and Z (Prin 1 and Prin2). Diet (column 1) and male ID (column 2) are provided as in the main data file Simmons et al 2025.csv