DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h44j0zpxc
title: Data from: Too hot to reason? Experimental heatwaves affect cognitive traits in male guppies

description: We investigated whether heatwaves impact cognition using male guppies
 (Poecilia reticulata) as a vertebrate model. Males were exposed to a 5-day
 experimental heatwave (32°C) or control treatment (26°C). Following the
 treatment, all fish were tested at 26°C for 1) spatial memory and learning
 in a maze test, 2) choosiness in a mate choice test, 3) inhibitory control
 in a detour test, 4) anti-predator response in an open field test, and 5)
 simple learning in a habituation test. We here provide the datasets of
 each of these 5 tests. 
description: # Data from: Too hot to reason? The effect of an experimental heatwave on
 cognitive traits in male guppies, Poecilia reticulata Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.h44j0zpxc](10.5061/dryad.h44j0zpxc) ## Description of the
 data and file structure We exposed male guppies to an experimental
 heatwave (32°C) or a control temperature (26°C) for 5 days. To assess the
 effects of heatwaves on cognition, we tested, in one group of males,
 memory and learning ability during repeated trials in a mate-search maze
 over four days. In another group of males, we tested performance in a
 suite of single-trial cognitive tasks, encompassing mate choice,
 inhibitory control, anti-predator responses, and habituation, over two
 days. ### Files and variables #### File: DatasetsDetails.rtf
 **Description:** This text document contains a description of all the
 variables in the datasets. #### File: DetourTestData.csv
 **Description:** The detour test was used to evaluate males’ inhibitory
 control, specifically their ability to navigate around (i.e., ‘detour’) a
 transparent barrier to reach a resource located behind it. ##### Variables
 * LineID: ID of the row (for sorting the dataset) * MaleID: identification
 number of the focal fish (always a male) * Block: Experimental block (the
 group of males undergoing treatment and tests simultaneously) * Treatment:
 Temperature treatment (heatwave or control) * LatencyOut: time until the
 fish left the shelter, in seconds * CorrectTrial: 1 when fish went
 straight around the barrier to the goal (without ever touching the
 barrier), 0 when the fish went first to the barrier * SolvedTrial: 0 when
 fish never went around the barrier to reach the goal, 1 when fish did
 solve (go around the barrier) * TimeBarrier: time spent in front of the
 barrier, in seconds * TotalTime: total time passed before reaching the
 goal, in seconds (includes time not in front of the barrier) #### File:
 HabituationTestData.csv **Description:** A habituation test was conducted
 to assess the male’s response to a repeated, non-harmful stimulus
 (acoustic and vibrational). This test evaluated the fish’s simple learning
 ability, specifically their capacity to learn to ignore (i.e., habituate
 to) a persistent yet inconsequential stimulus. After 5-minutes acclimation
 period, there was a 5-minute period of free swimming, and then the fish
 was exposed for 10 minutes to a constant, standardized disturbance
 stimulus repeated every 7 seconds. The trial was divided into three
 different periods: 5 minutes before the stimulus exposure (‘before
 disturbance’), the first 5 minutes after the onset of the disturbance
 stimulus (‘short disturbance’), and the last 5 minutes during stimulus
 exposure (‘long disturbance’). ##### Variables * LineID: ID of the row
 (for sorting the dataset) * MaleID: identification number of the focal
 fish (always a male) * Block: Experimental block (the group of males
 undergoing treatment and tests simultaneously) * Treatment: Temperature
 treatment (heatwave or control) * Stimulus: no_before - 5 minutes before
 stimulus exposure (before disturbance). yes_1_short - first 5 minutes
 during stimulus (short disturbance). yes_2_long - second 5 minutes during
 the stimulus (long disturbance). * SwimSpeed: average swimming speed while
 moving, in mm per sec * TimeFreeze: nr of seconds spent freezing (during
 each 5 minute stimulus period) * TimeMove: nr of seconds spent moving
 (during each 5 minute stimulus period) * ORLE: observation-level random
 effect (to correct a model over overdispersion) #### File:
 MateChoiceData.csv **Description:** The mate choice test evaluated male
 mate choice. Given that mate choice is a cognitively demanding process
 involving the assessment and comparison of potential mates, we hypothesise
 that heat stress could impair the cognitive functions underlying these
 behaviours, leading to less strong or more inconsistent mate preferences.
 (NA row in the dataset when male movements could not be tracked in a video
 due to a technical failure) ##### Variables * LineID: ID of the row (for
 sorting the dataset) * MaleID: identification number of the focal fish
 (always a male) * Block: Experimental block (the group of males undergoing
 treatment and tests simultaneously) * Treatment: Temperature treatment
 (heatwave or control) * ChoiceTime: Total time (in seconds) spent in the
 female choice zones (combining the time with each of the two females) *
 NochoiceTime: Total time spent in the no-choice zone (in seconds). *
 TimeWithPreferred: Total time (in seconds) spent with the preferred female
 (the female with whom the male spent most of his choice time) *
 TimeWithNonPreferred: Total time (in seconds) spent with the not preferred
 female (the female with whom the male spent least of his choice time) *
 NrSwitches: The number of switches between the two females while in the
 choice zone. * SwitchRate: Per minute rate of switching
 ((NrSwitches/ChoiceTime) * 60) * TimeWithBig: Total time (in seconds)
 spent with the bigger female * TimeWithSmall: Total time (in seconds)
 spent with the smaller female * BigFemSize: size (in mm) of the bigger
 female (NA: measurement error) * SmallFemSize: size (in mm) of the smaller
 female (NA: measurement error) * FemDiff: size difference (in mm) between
 the two females * BigFemPos: position of the bigger female’s compartment
 in the setup (randomised) * OLRE: observation-level random effect (to
 correct a model over overdispersion) #### File: MazeData.csv
 **Description:** To assess whether exposure to a heatwave affects spatial
 cognition and learning in male guppies, we tested their performance in a
 maze using an associative learning protocol. In this test, the reward for
 successfully completing the maze was access to an unfamiliar virgin
 female. Each male was tested during 9 trials. ##### Variables * LineID: ID
 of the row (for sorting the dataset) * MaleID: identification number of
 the focal fish (always a male) * Block: Experimental block (the group of
 males undergoing treatment and tests simultaneously) * Treatment:
 Temperature treatment (Heatwave or Control) * TrialNumber: trial number 1
 to 9 in the maze (for each male) * TestDay: test day 1 to 3 on which trial
 was done (3 trials per test day) * TestTime: time in the day that a trial
 was conducted * SolvedTrial: whether the fish completed/solved the maze
 (i.e. autonomously reached the other end of the maze within 10 minutes); 1
 - solved, 0 not solved * SearchTime: time taken to solve the maze (in
 seconds), maximum time of 10 mins (600 second) is assigned to uncompleted
 maze trials * DeadEnd: number of times the fish entered a maze corridor
 with a dead end (NA - could not be estimated due to low movement) *
 SwimBack: number of times the fish swam backwards into at previous
 corridor (in the direction of the starting point) (NA - could not be
 estimated due to low movement) * NrErrors: total nr of errors: number of
 time swimming into a dead end plus times swimming backwards (NA - could
 not be estimated due to low movement) * OLRE: observation-level random
 effect (to correct a model over overdispersion) #### File:
 OpenFieldData.csv **Description:** An open field test was performed to
 assess males’ activity and exploratory behaviour in a novel environment,
 and their response to a simulated predator risk. After a 5-minute
 acclimation period (not analysed) there was a 10-minute period of free
 swimming. After this, a conspecific alarm cue - simulating the presence of
 a potential predator - was added to the centre of tank, and the fish was
 observed for another 10 minutes. (NA row in the dataset when male
 movements could not be tracked in a video due to a technical failure)
 ##### Variables * LineID: ID of the row (for sorting the dataset) *
 MaleID: identification number of the focal fish (always a male) * Block:
 Experimental block (the group of males undergoing treatment and tests
 simultaneously) * Treatment: Temperature treatment (heatwave or control) *
 Stimulus: no_before = 10 minute period before alarm cue was added.
 yes_after = 10 minute period in presence of the alarm cue * SwimSpeed:
 Average swimming speed (while moving) in mm per sec * TimeFreeze: Time (in
 seconds) the fish spent freezing * TimeMove: Time (in seconds) the fish
 was not freezing * SpaceUsed: Nr of areas in the open field in which the
 fish was present at least once * SpaceNotUsed: Nr of areas in the open
 field in which the fish never visited * OLRE: observation-level random
 effect (to correct a model over overdispersion) ## Code/software The data
 can be viewed using the open sofware R. For our study, the data was used
 to investigate the effects of a heatwave on the cognitive performance of
 male guppies, using both linear and generalized linear mixed-effects
 models (LMMs and GLMMs) with the package lme4 in R version 1.4.0. ##
 Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * NA
 Data was derived from the following sources: * NA