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Dryad

Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a jumping spider with dimorphic males

Cite this dataset

Lietzenmayer, Laurel; Clark, David; Taylor, Lisa (2024). Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a jumping spider with dimorphic males [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2v6wwpzt5

Abstract

Dimorphic male alternative reproductive strategies typically involve divergent suites of morphological and behavioral traits to maximize reproductive success. Most instances of these strategies typically follow similar patterns of a larger, territorial or aggressive male morph and a smaller, satellite male morph. The genetically determined male morphs of the jumping spider, Maevia inclemens, have evolved dramatically different secondary sexual traits and courtship behavior, but do not seem to fit the classic mold of male alternative reproductive strategies. In the past several decades, advances have been made to better understand the different reproductive strategies between the morphs and how females (or predators) perceive them differently. However, the specific information content and function of their dimorphic morphological traits, and whether female aggression is an important factor in their evolution, is still not clearly understood. We tested two hypotheses for alternative mating strategies in M. inclemens. Tufted males have three tufts of setae above their eyes that may signal their mate quality. Striped males have contrasting black-and-white striped legs that may function as an aggression deterrent. We manipulated tuft length and the presence/absence of leg stripes and paired a single male with an unmated female in no-choice mating behavior experiments to quantify mating success, female receptivity, female aggression, and reproductive output. We found little support for our focal hypotheses. However, our models suggested that male body condition is more likely to influence mating interactions than variation in the target traits we manipulated. Our robust negative results allow us to critically revise our hypotheses to better understand the unique and perplexing male dimorphism of M. inclemens that deviates from current theory.

README: Females pay little attention to variation in male display traits in a jumping spider with dimorphic males


Data for behavioral experiment with jumping spider where males were manipulated in one of two ways, paired with a female, and female behavior in the context of male traits was measured

Description of the Data and file structure

All data is within a single file. Column names and descriptions are listed below

  • TestID=individual unique ID for each trial
  • MatureMolt=format MM/DD, calendar date that the female in the the trial molted to maturity, should be 7 days before test date
  • TestDate=format MM/DD, calendar date that trial was conducted and recorded
  • Year=year that the trial was conducted, trials took place summer of 2020 and 2021
  • MaleMorph=striped or tufted male morph of Maevia inclemens used in trial
  • MatingSuccess=binary y/n for whether the pair of spiders in the test successfully copulated, determined by the male successfully mounting the female and turning female abdomen to the side and inserted pedipalp
  • LaidEggs=binary y/n for whether the female laid at least one egg sac after successfully copulating during trial
  • SuccessfulSpiderlings=number of individual spiderlings that successfully emerged alive from all egg sacs produced by the female in the test
  • FailedSpiderlings=number of individual spiderlings that failed to emerge alive from all egg sacs produced by the female in the test (includes eggs that did not develop and spiderlings that died before leaving the egg sac)
  • ProportionMortality=the proportion of failed spiderlings out of the total number of eggs produced from all egg sacs from the female in the test
  • FemaleID=individual unique identifier for females
  • MaleID=individual unique identifier for males
  • FemaleSize=carapace width as a proxy for body size in millimeters, length between the anterior lateral eyes from dorsal view of spider
  • FemaleAbdomenArea=area of entire abdomen from dorsal view in square millimeters (mm^2)
  • MaleSize=carapace width as a proxy for body size in millimeters, length between the anterior lateral eyes from dorsal view of spider
  • MaleAbdomenArea=area of entire abdomen from dorsal view in square millimeters (mm^2)
  • MaleTrt=male visual experimental manipulations (LT = long tufted males, ST = short tufted males, CC = coloration concealed striped males, CV = coloration visible striped males)
  • SSD=female carapace width minues male carapace width in millimeters
  • MountFrequency=total number of times the male successfully mounted the female (climb on top of female and lifted female abdomen to insert pedipalp)
  • MatingLatency=time in minutes until the first successful copulation occurred (as denoted by behavioral description for "MatingSuccess")
  • Stalk=number of times the female oriented to the male, crouched, and slowly walked toward male while he faced away
  • SettleLatency=time in minutes for female to stop moving in front of a courting male and allow male to approach closely and mount
  • LegTapLatency=time in minutes for female to quickly tap front pair of legs on the substrate while oriented to the male
  • ReceptivityLatency=time in minutes for either leg tap or settle (described above) to occur, whichever came first
  • Receptivity=binary y/n for whether female showed settle OR leg tap behavior at any time during the trial
  • Aggression=number of times the female lunged toward the male, as noted by the female quickly toward the male jumping while facing the male and attempting to make contact (lunge was counted whether or not the female actually touched the male)
  • OrientationLatency=time in minutes until female oriented to the male, described by the female quickly swiveling entire body to direct anterior median eyes toward the male
  • CopulationDurationTotal=total time in seconds that male and female spent copulating (includes all mating bouts from entire trial)
  • LatencyCourt=time in minutes until the male first started courtship display to female

Methods

Data was collected by manually analyzing behavioral videos and recording different mating behaviors. This file is the raw data that includes count, time, and descriptive data.

Usage notes

Files are .csv and can be opened with Excel, R, and Rstudio.

Funding

National Science Foundation, Award: IOS-1557867

National Science Foundation, Award: IOS-1831751

United States Department of Agriculture, Award: Hatch Project 1016166

United States Department of Agriculture, Award: 1017978

American Arachnological Society, Award: Student Research Grant

International Society of Arachnology, Award: Oscar and Jan Francke Student Research Fund