DOI: 10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbzm
title: Data from: Intraspecific variation in mating behavior modulates the effects of mosquitofish introduction on prey communities

description: Intraspecific variation is recognized as a driver of ecological processes,
 yet prior studies have overwhelmingly focused on the ecological effects of
 intraspecific trait variation driven by natural selection. Far less is
 known about how variation in sexually selected traits influences
 ecological outcomes. In this study, we tested whether intraspecific
 differences in reproductive behaviors affect the ecosystem- and
 community-level impact of western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis)
 introductions. Male mosquitofish frequently harass females through
 persistent mating attempts. We manipulated the intensity of male
 harassment, then used a mesocosm experiment to measure the ecological
 consequences of these differences in harassment. Although this behavior
 manipulation was short-lived, our results suggest that differences in
 harassment intensity affected zooplankton communities. Compared to
 fish-absent controls, mesocosms with high-harassment males had smaller
 zooplankton body size and reduced abundance in several dominant taxa.
 These effects were not observed in low-harassment treatments, suggesting a
 threshold response in which only high-harassment males elicited community
 changes. The presence of mosquitofish also caused a trophic cascade to
 impact phytoplankton biomass; however, the strength of this cascade was
 not altered by harassment intensity. Our findings demonstrate that sexual
 selection can shape community composition and shows that reproductive
 behavior can modulate the impact of species introduction.
description: # Data from: Intraspecific variation in mating behavior modulates the
 effects of mosquitofish introduction on prey communities
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbzm](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wpzgmsbzm) ## Description of the data and file structure Data were collected from a mesocosm experiment to test for effects of variation in male mosquitofish harassment behavior on ecological patterns and processes. Male mosquitofish harassment behavior and various ecological variables were measured in each tank. Zooplankton were sampled in each tank and were identified and counted using microscopy after the experiment.  ### Files and variables #### File: Eco_Effects_Sexual_Selection_Behavior.csv **Description:** Male harassment behavior measurements ##### Variables * tank: tank id * date: date that measurement was taken * day: days since start of mesocosm experiment * timepoint: timepoint id * treatment: male type-high harassment males (HH), low harassment males (LH) * observer: observer id * fish.color: color of observed fish's elastomer identification tag * harass.time: time male spent harassing female fish during the observation period (seconds) #### File: Eco_Effects_Sexual_Selection_EcoData.csv **Description:** Ecosystem measurements ##### Variables * tank.id: tank id * treatment: male type-high harassment males (HH), low harassment males (LH), no fish and no zooplankton control (NZ), no fish control (NF) * treatment.fish: treatment type- fish (F) or no fish (NF) added to mesocosm * date: date that sample was collected * timepoint: timepoint id * day: days since start of mesocosm experiment * pH: pH of tank * dusk.temp: temperature at dusk measurement (C) * dawn.temp: temperature at dawn measurement (C) * ER: Ecosystem respiration (mg/L) * NPP: Net primary production (mg/L) * GPP: Gross primary production (mg/L) * Avg chl ug/L: average of 3 chlorophyll measurements (ug/L) #### File: Eco_Effects_Sexual_Selection_Zoops.csv **Description:** Zooplankton measurements ##### Variables * DateCounted: Date that sample was counted and zooplankton were identified * Tank: tank id * Treatment: treatment: male type-high harassment males (HH), low harassment males (LH), no fish and no zooplankton control (NZ), no fish control (NF) * Timepoint: timepoint id * Day: days since start of mesocosm experiment * HarassTime: Sum of harassment times for 3 males observed within a tank (NA = not applicable for NF and NZ treatments, which did not contain fish to observe) * Daphnia: Count of Daphnia in sample * Cerio: Count of Ceriodaphnia in sample * Bosmina: Count of Bosmina in sample * Chydorid: Count of Chydorids in sample * Calenoid: Count of Calenoid copepods in sample * Cyclopoid: Count of Cyclopoid copepods in sample * Nauplii: Count of copepod nauplii in sample * MosquitoLarvae: Count of mosquito larvae in sample * Chironomid: Count of Chironomids in sample * MosquitoPupae: Count of mosquito pupae in sample * Hydracarina: Count of hydracarina in sample * Springtail: Count of springtails in sample * ImmDaph: Count of Immature Daphnia in sample * DivingBeetle: Count of diving beetles in sample * Moinidae: Count of moinidae in sample * MayflyNymph: Count of mayfly nymphs in sample * StoneflyNymph: Count of stonefly nymphs in sample * Ostracod: Count of ostracods in sample * Backswimmer: Count of backswimmers in sample * MeasurerName: Name of researcher who measured Daphnia in ImageJ * DaphniaMeasuredCount: Number of Daphnia measured in a sample (maximum of 50 per sample) * DaphLengthAvg: Average Daphnia length in sample (NA = not applicable if 0 Daphnia in sample) * DaphLengthStDev: Standard deviation of Daphnia length in sample (NA = not applicable if 0 or 1 Daphnia in sample) ## Code/software Sofware to view data includes Microsoft Excel, R, and any program capable of opening .csv files.