The critical impact of sub- and supra-optimal temperatures on male fertility potential of an invasive fruit fly

Name: The critical impact of sub- and supra-optimal temperatures on male fertility potential of an invasive fruit fly
Creator: hervé colinet

colinet, hervé 1 2

Published Jun 17, 2025 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw91

Data files

Jun 17, 2025 version files 173.06 KB

AllData1.txt

79.29 KB
AllData2.txt

65.65 KB
Manip3-compet.txt

209 B
Manip3-competition.txt

237 B
Manip3-dissec.txt

17.47 KB
Manip3-ferti.txt

5.51 KB
README.md

4.68 KB

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of temperature on male fertility in the invasive pest Drosophila suzukii, focusing on both developmental and post-emergence temperature effects. We exposed flies to 11 temperatures (10-30°C) over varying durations, revealing asymmetrical thermal performance curves. Developmental temperatures between 9.8–29°C and adult temperatures between 10.05–34.8°C defined fertility limits (TFmin and TFmax). Males exposed to sub- or supra-optimal temperatures were sterile at emergence, with sterility persisting across life stages. Supra-optimal temperatures in adults induced sterility within days, while sub-optimal temperatures at adulthood prevented fertility. Cold-acclimated males, in reproductive quiescence, progressively regained fertility when transferred to 20°C, showing anatomical recovery but reduced mating attractiveness. This study defines male sterility thermal limits and highlights the partial fertility recovery in cold-acclimated males, providing insights into D. suzukii population dynamics after winter.

https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.tqjq2bw91

Description of the data and file structure

Authors: Hervé COLINET Coline LEHNHOFF & Bréa RAYNAUD-BERTON

This dataset includes raw data from three experiments on the thermal fertility limits and reproductive success of Drosophila suzukii.

It covers the effects of temperature on male fertility, anatomical traits, and competitive mating success.

The data files are as follows:

Experiment 1:

Eggs were developed into adults under 11 different temperatures, and male fertility was assessed after various durations, depending on temperature. Fertility was confirmed by the presence of progeny (n=20).

File: AllData1.txt

Variables in AllData1.txt :

Age_days: duration in days, corresponding to the age of flies
Fertile : fertity of the male : binomial response : "1" if fertile , "0" if not fertile
Sterile: sterility of the male : binomial response : "1" if sterile, "0" if not sterile
Replicate : the ID of the replicate (1 to 20) for each experimental condition
Temperature : development + adult temperature (°C)
Ratio : for each experimental condition (temperature x Age) the proportion of fertile males / 20 (ratio)

Experiment 2:

Eggs were developed into adults at 25°C, and male fertility was assessed under 11 different adult temperatures and various durations. Fertility was confirmed by progeny presence at each time point (n=20).

File: AllData2.txt

Variables in AllData2.txt :

Age_days: duration in days, corresponding to the age of flies
Fertile : fertity of the male : binomial response : "1" if fertile , "0" if not fertile
Sterile: sterility of the male : binomial response : "1" if sterile, "0" if not sterile
Replicate : the ID of the replicate (1 to 20) for each experimental condition
Temperature : adult temperature (°C)
Ratio : for each experimental condition (temperature x Age) the proportion of fertile males / 20 (ratio)

Experiment 3:

Design: Cold-winter-acclimated WA (or WM as synonym) were reared at low temperature (12°C) and then divided into two groups:

WA12: remained at 12°C

WA20: transferred to 20°C

Controls are CTRL20 : developped and maintained at 20°C.

Metrics Evaluated:

Fertility rate (n=20) after 1, 5, 12 days

Mating competitiveness in choice tests (n=40)

Reproductive organ size: seminal vesicle length, seminal vesicle width, testis length, testis width and color (n=40)

File: Fertility data: Manip3-ferti.txt

Variables in Manip3-ferti.txt :

Date : date (D/M/Y)
Age: age of adult flies when tested (1, 5 or 12 days)
Temperature : thermal treatment (WA12, WA20 or CTRL20)
Replicate : the ID of the replicate (1 to 20) for each experimental condition
Fertile : fertity of the male : binomial response : "1" if fertile , "0" if not fertile
Sterile: sterility of the male : binomial response : "1" if sterile, "0" if not sterile
Ratio : for each experimental condition (temperature x Age) the proportion of fertile males / 20 (ratio)

Files: Competition data: Manip3-compet.txt & Manip3-competition.txt

Variables in Manip3-compet.txt :

Temperature : thermal treatment (WA12, WA20 or CTRL)
Age : age of male when tested (1, 5 or 12 days)
Mating : numb of successful matings (out of 40) in the experimental condition (temperature x Age)
No_mating: numb of mating failures (out of 40) in the experimental condition (temperature x Age)

Variables in Manip3-competition.txt:

Temperature : thermal treatment (WA12, WA20 or CTRL)
Age : age of male when tested (1, 5 or 12 days)
Proportion: ratio of the numb of successful matings (out of 40) in the experimental condition (temperature x Age) [negative sign for displaying control group on left side of the barplot]

File: Reproductive organ measurements: Manip3-dissec.txt

Variables in Manip3-dissec.txt:

Date : date (D/M/Y)
Age: age of adult flies when tested (1, 5 or 12 days)
Temperature : thermal treatment (WA12, WA20 or CTRL20)
Replicate : the ID of the replicate (1 to 40) for each experimental condition
Long_testis : length of testis (mm)
Larg_testis : width of testis (mm)
Long_VS : length of seminal vesicle (mm)
Larg_VS : width of seminal vesicle (mm)
Color: coloration of the testes and seminal vesicles coded into 4 qualitative levels: from white (1) to intense yellow (4)

File Format:

The data is in tab-delimited text files (.txt), with column headers in the first row and data entries in subsequent rows.