The function of the female mimic signal in Enchenopa binotata treehoppers
Data files
Nov 29, 2023 version files 587.05 MB
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Audio_files.zip
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Female-like_signal_function.csv
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Male_spontaneous_signaling_displays.csv
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Picture_files.zip
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README.md
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README.txt
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Repeatability.csv
Abstract
Some animals mimic behaviors or signals of conspecifics while courting. Sexual mimicry is beneficial when it increases reproductive success. We explored the function of a novel form of sexual mimicry in the courtship display of male Enchenopa treehoppers. Males produce plant-borne vibrational advertisement signals, to which females respond. Interestingly, males also produce a female mimic signal, and we experimentally tested its function. First, with a female priming hypothesis, we tested if this signal would increase female response. However, females were as likely to respond to playbacks with or without this. Second, with a male inhibition hypothesis, we tested if the mimic signal would inhibit competing males. However, males were as likely to produce displays after playbacks with or without the mimic signal. Third, with a self-boost hypothesis, we tested if males performing the mimic signal would show higher signaling effort. Males that produced the mimic signal had higher signal rates and longer signals than males that did not produce it. We suggest that the mimic signal provides the males with positive motivational feedback. Consequently, the evolution of sexual mimicry –and signal repertoires– may be influenced by the effects on the sender itself, besides the effects on the audience.
README: The function of the female mimic signal in Enchenopa binotata treehoppers
https://doi.org/10.6078/D1QF08
Description of the data and file structure
FILE: Female female-like_signal function
OVERALL DESCRIPTION:
This file contains the data for the experimental test of the female-like signal in Enchenopa binotata treehoppers. Both males and females were presented with different stimuli (treatments) and we noted if they responded -and how- to stimuli of variable composition (some contained the female signal, not did not, etc.).
COLUMN EXPLANATION
- Recording_individual_ID: A unique identification code for each individual
- species: The species of each treehopper in the Enchenopa binotata complex. Individuals were either from the 'sp-low' or 'sp-high'
- sex: Whether the individual was a mature male or female
- field.site: A three-letter code for the field site in which animals were collected, in South Eastern Wisconsin, USA.
- year: The year in which the individual was collected and recorded
- temperature: The air temperature recorded at the end of each recording, in Celsius
- treatment: The playback treatment presented to each individual (combining all female recordings as only one category)
- expanded_treatment: The playback treatment presented to each individual, expanding on the type of female recording (1,2,3, or 4)
- Responded_to_female-like_signal_on_playback: Whether the individual responded to the female female-like_signal signal on the playback or not (yes, no). All rows of males prior to 2021 have 'NA' as no playback experiment was presented to them
- Response_to_female-like_signal_binary: Same as the previous variable, but using 0 for no, and 1 for yes. All rows of males prior to 2021 have 'NA' as no playback experiment was presented to them
- Numb_responses_after_female-like_signal: The number of times the female responded to the stimulus and the three main advertisement signals in the playback bout. All male rows have 'NA'
- Total_time_responding: The total time the female spent responding to the signals in the playback bout, in seconds. All male rows have 'NA'
- mean_time_responding: The mean time the female spent responding to the signals in the playback bout, in seconds. All male rows have 'NA'
- female-like_signal_performed: Whether the male performed the female female-like_signal signal or not. All female rows have 'NA'
- signalled_after_playback: Whether the male did a signaling bout after the playback was presented. All the rows of females and males previous to 2021 have 'NA'
- jumped_after_playback: Whether the male jumped off the plant after the playback was presented. All the rows of females and males previous to 2021 have 'NA'
- wingbuzz_after_playback: Whether the male performed a wing buzz after the playback was presented. All the rows of females and males previous to 2021 have 'NA'
- whine_length_s: Duration, in seconds, of the whine element of the fourth main advertisement signal of males. All female rows have 'NA'
- dominant_frequency: The dominant frequency of the signal, measured as the duration of 9 cycles at the end of the whine. All female rows have 'NA'
- signal_rate: The inverse of the duration between signals, specifically between the end of the third and the end of the fourth advertisement signal in the bout. All female rows have 'NA'
FILE: Male_spontaneous_signaling_displays.csv
OVERALL DESCRIPTION:
This file contains qualitative information of the spectral and temporal features of the signaling display of males of Enchenopa binotata treehoppers. These are the spontaneous signaling displays, i.e., these males were not presented with artifical playback stimuli. The file also contains the morphological information measured in a subset of males.
COLUMN EXPLANATION
- Recording_ID: A unique identification code for each recording
- species: The species of each treehopper in the Enchenopa binotata complex. Individuals were either from the 'sp-low' or 'sp-high'
- individual_ID: A unique identification code for each individual
- date: The date when the recording occurred
- time: The time of the day when the recording occurred
- site: A three-letter code for the field site in which animals were collected, in South Eastern Wisconsin, USA.
- year: The year in which the individual was collected and recorded
- temperature_C: The air temperature recorded at the end of each recording, in Celsius
- weight_mg: The weight in mg of the animal, immediately after the recording
- Body_length_mm: The length of the treehopper in lateral view, measured as the distance from the the dorsal tip of the pronotum to the distal end of the abdomen
- Face_length_mm: The length of the anterior side of the treehopper in laterial view, form the tip of the pronotum to the ventral end of the rostrum
- Leg_III_femur_mm: the length of the femur of the tibia of leg III
- Width_II_tibia_mm: The width of the tibia of leg II
- Wing_length_mm: The length of the major vein of the wing in lateral view
- Condition_Residuals_wing_weight: The residuals of a regression of the body weight on body size (wing length)
- female-like_signal_signal_performed: Whether the male performed the female female-like_signal signal or not. All female rows have 'NA'
- binary_female-like_signal_performed: Binary indications of whether the male performed the female female-like_signal signal or not (0=no, 1=yes). All female rows have 'NA'
- whine.duration: Duration, in seconds, of the whine element of the fourth main advertisement signal of males. All female rows have 'NA'
- signal.rate: The inverse of the duration between signals, specifically between the end of the third and the end of the fourth advertisement signal in the bout. All female rows have 'NA'
- dominant.frequency: The dominant frequency of the signal, measured as the duration of 9 cycles at the end of the whine. All female rows have 'NA'
FILE: Repeatability
OVERALL DESCRIPTION:
This file contains the information for the subset of males for which we recorded their signaling display (bout) twice. In the bouts we noted if males performed the female-like signal.
COLUMN EXPLANATION
- indivdual: A unique identification code for each individual
- bout: Whether the recording was the first or second bout recorded of the same individual
- time_between_bouts: The time interval between the two recorded bouts
- bouts_same_day: Whether the bouts were recorded on the same day (yes, no)
- species: The species of each treehopper in the Enchenopa binotata complex. Individuals were either from the 'sp-low' or 'sp-high'
- female-like_signal_performed: Whether the male performed the female female-like_signal signal or not. All female rows have 'NA'
- phenotypic_consistency: The consistency of males in their signaling display. Males could be consistent in not producing the female-like signal in the two bouts recorded, or they could performed it in both, or be inconsistent and perform the female-like_signal signal in one bout and not perform it in the other bout
- site: A three-letter code for the field site in which animals were collected, in South Eastern Wisconsin, USA.
- year: The year in which the individual was collected and recorded
- date: The date when the recording occurred
- time: The time of the day when the recording occurred
- signal.rate: The inverse of the duration between signals, specifically between the end of the third and the end of the fourth advertisement signal in the bout. All female rows have 'NA'
- whine.duration_s: Duration, in seconds, of the whine element of the fourth main advertisement signal of males. All female rows have 'NA'
FILE: Picture files.zip
This compressed folder contains all the pictures of male treehoppers we took under the stereoscope. We used these pictures to measure the body size of the males, and subsequently calculate the body condition for males. Those measures are reported in the file Male_spontaneous_signaling_displays.csv
FILE: Audio files.zip
This compressed file contain two types of audio recordings.
I. Playbacks: The artifical playback stimuli we created in R. We used these playbacks to test the function of the female-like signal produced by males of species of Enchenopa binotata treehoppers. The plyabacks are species-specific. Hence they are organized in folders of the two species tested (HF and LF, also referred as Sp-low and Sp-high in the manuscript)
II. Recordings: The sound recordings of the experiment testing the function of the female-like signal. The recordings are sorted by species and then by sex. All individuals were presented with one stimulus, which is noted towards the end of the file name. The four-digit code at the end of the file name represents the recording ID which can also be found -and matched- with the spreadsheets. The folder contains a subsample of ~25% of all the recordings obtained for the experiments, and ~15% of the spontaneous signaling displays of males. The rest of the recordings are available upon contacting the authors, as the recordings are part of ongoing unpublished projects in the research groups.
Methods
We used laser vibrometry to record the signaling displays of male treehoppers and the responses of females to artificial playbacks transmitted through the plant.