Dataset:Female state and condition-dependent chemical signalling revealed by male choice of silk trails
Data files
Aug 05, 2023 version files 78.36 KB
Aug 06, 2023 version files 79.84 KB
Abstract
We ask whether males of the nuptial gift-giving spider Pisaura mirabilis exert preferences for mates varying in their reproductive potential based on chemical information during mate search. Males were presented with binary trails consisting of silk lines and substrate-borne chemicals deposited while females were walking, from females varying in a) body condition (high vs. low), b) developmental state (subadult vs. adult) and c) mating state (unmated vs. mated). If female chemical signaling co-varies with individual state, we expect males to choose trails of females that are a) in higher body condition, indicating higher fecundity, b) adults, which can successfully reproduce, and c) unmated, to avoid sperm competition. We show that female signaling is condition-dependent, with males being more likely to follow trails of higher body condition females, but not dependent on female mating state. Males also tended to prefer trails of adults over subadults. Choice did not depend on male individual body condition.
README
Title and authors
Data, analysis script and associated files for:
Michelle Beyer, Kardelen . Uludag, Cristina Tuni (2023, accepted in Behavioral Ecology) Female state and condition-dependent chemical signalling revealed by male choice of silk trails
Data collected by KU. Please refer to the manuscript for data collection methods and statistical analyses. For questions or to notify the authors if any errors are identified in the data, please contact Dr. Cristina Tuni (cristina.tuni@unito.it).
Information on data files
ESM_Beyer et al.csv
This data was used to test whether males of the spider Pisaura mirabilis prefere females varying body condition, developmental state or mating state.
Description of variables used for data analysis
columnHeading | description |
---|---|
Date | Date of trial conduction |
Experiment | Type of experiment the trial belongs to |
TrialNumber | Number of trials the male has conducted (1-4) |
IdMale | Male individual identity |
AgeMale | Male age in days after moult to adulthood |
MassMale | Male body mass [g] |
MassMaleMg | Male body mass [mg] |
SizeMale | Male head width [mm] |
ResIndMale | Male residual index of body mass and size |
IdFem | Female individual identity |
AgeFem | Female age in days after moult to adulthood |
MassFem | Female body mass [g] |
MassFemMg | Female body mass [mg] |
SizeFem | Female head width [mm] |
ResIndFem | Female residual index of body mass and size |
Treatment | Specific trail type in the device arm |
DirectionChosen | Information on whether the device arm was followed by the male (Yes or No) |
Description of variables not used for analysis due to low sample sizes
columnHeading | description |
---|---|
femalearm | The arm the female left her silk in (Left vs. Right) |
bounceYN | Occurrence of male bouncing behaviour (abdominal vibration): (Yes or No) |
bounceduration | Duration of male bouncing behaviour [sec] |
rubYN | Occurrence of male leg rubbing behaviour |
rubduration | Duration of male leg rubbing behaviour [sec] |
waitYN | Male waited in the device arm (Yes or No) |
waitduration | Duration of male waiting [sec] |
silkcontact | Visual contact observed between male and female silk |
activemovementduration | Duration the male spent in the device |
numberofturns | Number of 180 turns the male did in the device |
start walking in the arm | Start time of the male inside one of the device arms |
timeanimalleft the arm | Time of male leaving the arm (i.e. finish of trial) |
timespent | Total time spent in the device |
intersec.totaltime | Duration the male spent in the intersection area of the device |
intersectionagain | Male reached intersection area again (Yes or No |
malechoicechange | Male changed device arm (Yes or No |
ESM-BinomialChoice.R
R script for the statistical analysis of "ESM_Beyer et al.csv".
Information on Code/Software
State and condition-dependent chemical signaling of adult females revealed by male preference in a gift-giving spider.Rmd
R markdown file of the R code file "ESM-BinomialChoice." Includes more in-depth descriptions of code.
Methods
Experimental trials were run in the laboratory using wild-caught spiders. Males were presented with binary trails consisting of silk lines and substrate-borne chemicals deposited while females were walking (in a V-shaped corridor). Silk was deposited by females varying in a) body condition (high vs. low fed females), b) developmental state (subadult vs. adult females) and c) mating state (unmated vs. mated females).