DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhzj
title: Condition-dependent female aggression and its effects on mating success and sexual cannibalism in jumping spiders

description: Pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism is an extreme form of aggression towards
 potential mates. In the present study, we examined condition-dependent
 female aggression and its effects on mating success and frequency of
 pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism in the jumping spider Phidippus audax
 (Hentz 1845). We examined two of the leading hypotheses of why sexual
 cannibalism may occur, 1) female mate choice and 2) adaptive female
 foraging. We separated 137 adult virgin female P. audax into three feeding
 treatments: 1) well-fed spiders, 2) 14-day food deprived, and 3) 28-day
 food deprived. We recorded weight loss (14-day and 28-day treatments) and
 survival rates. We conducted mating trials to measure the proportion of
 non-aggressive and aggressive male and female behaviors, male mating
 success, and pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism. Females deprived of food
 had higher weight loss and lower survival rates than well-fed females. In
 addition, food deprived female spiders exhibited higher proportions of
 aggressive behaviors and pre-copulatory sexual cannibalism, and lower
 mating success compared to well-fed spiders. We found that as male size
 increased females were less likely to cannibalize males, but we found no
 effect of male body condition on whether a male mated with or was
 cannibalized by a female. Our results are consistent with the adaptive
 foraging hypothesis and corroborates prior research on pre-copulatory
 sexual cannibalism.
description: # Condition-dependent female aggression and its effects on mating success
 and sexual cannibalism in jumping spiders
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhzj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vhzj) ## Description of the data and file structure **GENERAL INFORMATION** 1.      Title of Dataset: Condition-dependent female aggression and its effects on mating success and sexual cannibalism in jumping spiders 2.      Author contact information: a.      Name: Michael E. Vickers (corresponding author) Institution: University of the Free State, Millikin University Email: [vickers.me@ufs.ac.za](mailto:vickers.me@ufs.ac.za), [vickersmichael9@gmail.com](mailto:vickersmichael9@gmail.com) b.      Name: Marianne W. Robertson Institution: Millikin University Email: [mrobertson@millikin.edu](mailto:mheisey@ufl.edu) c.      Name: Travis E. Wilcoxen Institution: Millikin University Email: **[twilcoxen@millikin.edu](mailto:twilcoxen@millikin.edu)** **DATA & FILE OVERVIEW** This dataset contains one Excel files entitled: 1.      “DRYAD_Cannibalism1_-_Vickers_et_al 2024.xlsx” **METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION** For all methodological details of data collection and funding sources see the following manuscript: Vickers ME, Robertson MW, Wilcoxen TE. Condition-dependent female aggression and its effects on mating success and sexual cannibalism in jumping spiders. Ethology. The data contained in these datasets can be used to replicate all analyses that are detailed in the above manuscript. **DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION** The excel file, “DRYAD – DRYAD Cannibalism - Vickers et al 2024” contains three sheets in total. All column headings clearly describe the contents of the columns and allow one to fully replicate the analyses described in the manuscript. These datasheets include data for all mating trial attempts (successful and unsuccessful mating attempts). **1) The first tab, labelled "Female Data", includes all of the behavioral data used to investigate mating behavior associated with female spiders. This information includes:** Trial ID:  Trial number for each individual trial, labelled "Trial ID". Female Feeding Treatment:  Feeding treatment for each female: Well Fed, 14 Day Food Deprived, 28 Day Food Deprived. Female Weight (g): Female weight measured in grams. Female Carapace Width (um) X 1 MAG: Female carapace width measured in micrometers. Male Weight (g):  Male weight measured in grams. Male Carapace Width (um) X 1 MAG:  Male carapace width measured in micrometers. Retreat:  Number of "Retreat" exhibited by female during trial.  Touch:  Number of "Touch" exhibited by female during trial.  Mount:  Number of "Mounts" that female allowed during trial. Mate:  Did female "Mate" with male. This is labelled "N = No, Y = Yes". Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors (Total Includes Mate): Total number of non-aggressive behaviors. This adds columns "Retreat", "Touch", "Mount", "Mate" to obtain total. When adding into Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors the "Mate" column is converted to "0 = No, 1 = Yes". Proportion of Non-Aggressive Behaviors:  This data point is obtained by = Column Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors / (Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors + Aggressive Behaviors). Stalk:  Number of "Stalk" exhibited by female during trial. Lunge/Strike:  Number of "Lunge/Strike" exhibited by female during trial. Grapple:  Number of "Grapple" exhibited by female during trial. Chase:  Number of "Chase" exhibited by female during trial. Total Aggressive Behaviors:  Total number of aggressive behaviors. This adds variables "Stalk", "Lunge/Strike", "Grapple", "Chase" to obtain total. Proportion of Aggressive Behaviors:  The proportion of total aggressive behaviors. This data point is obtained by = Total Aggressive Behaviors / (Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors + Total Aggressive Behaviors). **2) The second tab, labelled "Male Data", includes all of the behavioral data used to investigate mating behavior associated with male spiders. This information includes:** Trial ID:  Trial number for each individual trial, labelled "Trial ID". Female Feeding Treatment:  Feeding treatment for each female: Well Fed, 14 Day Food Deprived, 28 Day Food Deprived. Female Weight (g):  Female weight measured in grams. Female Carapace Width (um) X 1 MAG:  Female carapace width measured in micrometers. Male Weight (g):  Male weight measured in grams. Male Carapace Width (um) X 1 MAG:  Male carapace width measured in micrometers. Approach:  Number of "Approach" exhibited by male during trial.  Wave:  Number of "Wave" exhibited by male during trial.  Backup:  Number of "Backup" exhibited by male during trial. Touch:  Number of "Touch" exhibited by male during trial. Mount:  Number of "Mount" exhibited by male during trial. Taps:  Number of "Taps" exhibited by male during trial. Rotate:  Number of "Rotate" exhibited by male during trial. Palp Insertion: Number of "Palp Insertion" exhibited by male during trial. Dismount:  Number of "Dismount" exhibited by male during trial. Retreat:  Number of "Retreat" exhibited by male during trial. Mate:  Number of "Mate" exhibited by male during trial.  Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors:  Total number of non-aggressive behaviors. This adds variables "Approach", "Wave", "Backup", "Touch", "Mount", "Taps", "Rotate", "Palp Insertion", "Dismount", "Retreat", "Mate" to obtain total. Proportion of Non-Aggressive Behaviors: This data point is obtained by = Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors / (Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors + Aggressive Behaviors). Stalk:  Number of "Stalk" exhibited by male during trial. Lunge/Strike:  Number of "Lunge/Strike" exhibited by male during trial. Grapple:  Number of "Grapple" exhibited by male during trial. Chase:  Number of "Chase" exhibited by male during trial. Cannibalism:  Number of "Cannibalism" exhibited by male during trial. Total Aggressive Behaviors:  This adds variables "Stalk", "Lunge/Strike", "Grapple", "Chase", "Cannibalism" to obtain total. Proportion of Aggressive Behaviors: This data point is obtained by = Total Aggressive Behaviors / (Total Non-Aggressive Behaviors + Total Aggressive Behaviors). **3) The third tab, labelled "Sexual Cannibalism & Mate" includes the following:** Female ID:  Female identifier for each trial (this is not used for any analyses), but used to identify each individual trial. Feeding Treatment:  Feeding treatment for each female: Well Fed, 14 Day Food Deprived, 28 Day Food Deprived. Age of Female:  Age of female since maturation (reported in days). Number of Mate Attempts:  Number of mating attempts that each female underwent to result in a mate or cannibalism. Male ID:  Male identifier for each trial (this is not used for any analyses), but used to identify each individual trial. Male Weight (g):  Male weight measured in grams. Male Carapace Width (um) X 1 MAG:  Male carapace width measured in micrometers. Mate (N = No, Y = Yes):  Did female "Mate" with male. This is labelled as "N = No, Y = Yes". Cannibalism (N = No, Y = Yes):  Did female "Cannibalism" male. This is labelled as "N = No, Y = Yes".