DOI: 10.5061/dryad.r8n434d
title: Data from: Superfetation reduces the negative effects of pregnancy on the fast-start escape performance in live-bearing fish

description: Superfetation, the ability to simultaneously carry multiple litters of
 different developmental stages in utero, is a reproductive strategy that
 evolved repeatedly in viviparous animal lineages. The evolution of
 superfetation is hypothesized to reduce the reproductive burden and,
 consequently, improve the locomotor performance of the female during
 pregnancy. Here, we apply new computer-vision based techniques to study
 changes in body shape and three-dimensional fast-start escape performance
 during pregnancy in three livebearing fishes (family Poeciliidae) that
 exhibit different levels of superfetation. We found that superfetation
 correlates with a reduced abdominal distension and a more slender female
 body shape just before parturition. We further found that body slenderness
 positively correlates with maximal speeds, curvature amplitude and
 curvature rate, implying that superfetation improves the fast-start escape
 performance. Collectively, our study suggests that superfetation may have
 evolved in performance-demanding (e.g. high flow or high predation)
 environments to reduce the locomotor cost of pregnancy.
description: Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part1MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.001Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part2MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.002Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part3MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.003Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part4MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.004Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part5MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.005Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part6MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.006Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part7MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.007Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part8MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.008Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part9MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.009Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part10MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.010Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part11MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.011Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part12MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.012Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part13MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.013Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part14MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.014Fast-start_MATLAB_data_part15MATLAB File Archive containing tracking data for individual fast-start manoeuvres. See README.txt for definitions of variables.dryad_small.7z.015Morphology_Fast-start_final-dataThe file 'Morphology_Fast-start_final-data.xls' is used for all the statistical analyses in our manuscript. See the accompanying README_Morphology_Fast-start_final-data.txt file for a specific content description.