DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22kx
title: Quit bugging me: Phorid fly parasitoids affect expression of an immune gene in foraging fire ant workers

description: This data contains RT-qPCR and diet measurements for quantifying gene
 expression of red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta workers in the
 presence and absence of the parasitoid fire ant decapitating fly,
 Pseudacteon curvatus, and assessing the amount of food after exposure
 to P. curvatus, respectively. The genes investigated were the
 Solenopsis invicta foraging gene (Sifor), odorant binding protein 11
 (OBP-11), abaecin, defensin-2 (Def-2), cytochrome P450 4C1-like
 (CYP4C1-like), and hymenoptaecin (hym). Ribosomal Protein 18 (RPL18) was
 used as the reference gene. These genes of S. invicta workers of unknown
 infection status in fire ant colonies exposed to decapitating flies and
 control colonies were observed over a 48-h period. Two diets were measured
 before and after in control and treatment colonies (i.e., colonies exposed
 to P. curvatus).
description: Fire ant (<em>S.
 invicta</em>) colonies were collected and split into two
 sub-colonies. Containers were designed and created to serve as behavioral
 assay arenas. Behavioral assays were conducted in a climate-controlled
 laboratory, started between 13:30 and 14:20 pm, and performed over 48
 hours. Each treatment colony was exposed to 10 decapitating flies
 (<em>P. curvatus</em>). Each experiment lasted 48
 hours. Food was measured in
 grams (g) using a scale. Data was hand-collected and then transferred to
 Excel where basic statistics were performed (t-tests). Fire ant workers
 were collected during each experiment at hours: 0, 6, 24, 30, and 48 h.
 They were snap-frozen on dry ice and stored at -80°C prior to RNA
 extraction. We assayed relative expression of <em>Sifor</em>,
 <em>OBP11</em>, <em>Hym</em>,
 <em>CYP4C1-like</em>, <em>abaecin</em>, and
 <em>Def-2</em>, mRNA from pooled whole body fire ant
 workers/foragers relative to RPL18 (an endogenous control gene) using
 real-time qPCR techniques on a QuantStudioTM Pro System with PowerUpTM
 SYBRTM Green Master Mix and manufacturer’s protocols. Statistical analyses were conducted using
 paired t-tests of the DCt scores to compare differences in gene expression
 levels in fire ant workers at each sampling time point in the control
 (i.e., decapitating flies absent) and treatment (i.e., decapitating flies
 present) colonies. 
description: # Data from Quit bugging me: Phorid fly parasitoids affect expression of
 an immune gene in foraging fire ant workers --- ## Summary of dataset This
 Microsoft Excel spreadsheet of data contains 4 tabs. Two of the tabs:
 Roaches and Art, are data from the food/diet measurements (these are
 referred to as "diet tabs"), while the Immune gene qPCRs and
 Sifor, Hym, oBP-11, qPCRs contain the RT-qPCR data. See the manuscript for
 a description of the methods. ## Description of the data and file
 structure The Roaches and Art. Diet tabs contain diet measurements from
 treatment and control red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta colonies.
 There are 10 sub-colonies (originally five colonies split into 5
 sub-colonies): B2A, B1A, R1A, F2A, F1A, F1B, F2B, R1B, B1B, B2B. Colony
 IDs that contain an A are treatment colonies which were exposed to
 decapitating flies (*Pseudacteon curvatus*) and colonies that contain a B
 are control colonies (i.e., no decapitating flies were introduced). Food
 source was weighed in grams with a balance scale. The tabs in the Excel
 file: Immune gene qPCRs and Sifor, Hym, oBP-11, qPCRs contain the output
 from the RT-qPCR RT-qPCR. The instrument used was a QuantStudio™ 6 Pro
 System machine. The Cq were outputs by the machine. Cq AVERAGE, dCt ddCt,
 and Fold Change were calculated afterwards. As with the diet tabs, an A in
 the sample names means treatment and B denotes control. Targets are genes
 of interest. The Reporter used was Syber Green. Water (molecular grade)
 controls were removed from the Excel tabs. There were no water samples
 with contamination. Any empty cell produced by the QuantStudio? 6 Pro
 System was replaced with the word, "null." All other cells that
 were meant to be blank were also filled with, "null."