DOI: 10.5061/dryad.83bk3jb69
title: Data from: Energy status and antioxidant response in microfilariae-infected male village weavers (<em>Ploceus cucullatus</em>) across pre- and post-breeding periods in Amurum Forest Reserve

description: We investigated the relationship between microfilariae and energy status
 and the oxidative damage-defense mechanism of male village weavers
 (Ploceus cucullatus) during pre-breeding and post-breeding seasons (which
 also coincides with the birds' moult periods). Specifically, we
 investigated (i) how glucose concentrations in filarial-infected male
 village weavers varied during pre- and post-breeding periods and (ii) how
 the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) of the
 infected birds would also vary during these two periods. A total of 117
 adult male birds were trapped. During the pre-breeding period, 53% (33 of
 62) of the individuals undergoing a pre-breeding moult were infected, and
 47% (29 of 62) were non-infected. During the post-breeding period, 42% (23
 of 55) of the individuals undergoing a post-breeding moult were infected,
 and 58% (32 of 55) were non-infected. We observed a significant positive
 relationship (P &lt; 0.05) between microfilaria infection status and
 plasma glucose levels, as well as between infection status and the
 moulting phases. However, the interaction between infection status and
 moult phase was negatively correlated with plasma glucose concentration.
 Also, we found that both moult phases and infection status were positively
 correlated with SOD, and that the interaction between infection status and
 MDA correlated negatively with SOD. However, there was no direct
 relationship observed between MDA and SOD levels. Our findings suggest
 that the effect of MDA on SOD may depend on microfilaria infection status.
 This implies that male village weavers could be experiencing fitness costs
 due to oxidative imbalance—potentially through compromised antioxidant
 defenses during the pre-breeding and post-breeding periods in infected
 individuals.
description: # Data from: Energy status and antioxidant response in
 microfilariae-infected male village weavers (*Ploceus cucullatus*) across
 pre- and post-breeding periods in Amurum Forest Reserve Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.83bk3jb69](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.83bk3jb69) ##
 Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables ####
 **1. Overview** This dataset oxidaa.csv contains biochemical measurements
 from a study examining how micrifilarial infection influences oxidative
 stress in weaver birds (family: Ploceidae) across two breeding phases: *
 **Pre-breeding (Pre-)** * **Post-breeding (Post-)** The dataset includes
 both infected and uninfected birds, with measurements of three blood
 biomarkers associated with oxidative stress and metabolic status: *
 **glu** – Blood glucose concentration * **mda** – Malondialdehyde (marker
 of lipid peroxidation / oxidative damage) * **sod** – Superoxide dismutase
 activity (antioxidant enzyme) The data appear in tidy format with one
 measurement per row. **2. File Contents** **Variables (Columns):**
 **Column:  Description** * species: Species name (all entries here =
 “weavers”) - Infected: Infection status (“yes” = microfilarial-infected;
 “no” = uninfected) * Period: Sampling period relative to breeding cycle
 (“Pre-” or “Post-”) - glu: Blood glucose level (mg/dL) * mda:
 Malondialdehyde concentration (nmol/mL) - sod: Superoxide dismutase
 activity (U/mL) **3. Dataset Structure** * **Total observations:** 117 *
 **Groups represented:** * Pre-breeding, uninfected * Post-breeding,
 uninfected * Pre-breeding, infected * Post-breeding, infected Each
 combination of infection status and period includes multiple biological
 replicates. **4. Study Context (Based on Manuscript Description)** This
 dataset accompanies a manuscript analysing whether microfilarial infection
 alters oxidative stress physiology in free-living weavers. Specifically: *
 **MDA** is used as a proxy for oxidative damage. * **SOD** reflects
 antioxidant defense capacity. * **Glucose** is included as a relevant
 metabolic measure that may shift with infection or breeding stage. * The
 Pre-breeding period is metabolically demanding, while the Post-breeding
 period tends to show lower baseline oxidative stress. The manuscript
 compares these biomarkers between infected vs. uninfected birds and across
 periods to test whether infection intensifies oxidative challenges. ##
 Code/software Ms Excel and R ## Access information Other publicly
 accessible locations of the data * Not applicable Data was derived from
 the following sources * Not applicable