DOI: 10.5061/dryad.crjdfn3jp
title: Data from: The interplay of biotic and abiotic factors in shaping genetic variation at 6Pgdh in the bulb mite

description: The polymorphism of 6Pgdh in the bulb mite Rhizoglyphus robini involves
 two alleles, S and F, which have opposing effects on male reproductive
 success. While S-bearing males have a reproductive advantage and the S
 allele fixes in the laboratory populations, polymorphism is regularly
 observed in natural populations. We hypothesize that the 6Pgdh
 polymorphism in the bulb mite may be maintained by context-dependent
 selection, driven by fluctuations of temperature and sexual selection
 intensity, as predicted by balancing selection models based on
 genotype-by-environment interactions. This study uses experimental
 evolution to track allele frequency changes over 13 generations under
 different temperatures (12°C and 18°C) and sexual selection intensities
 (equal and female-biased sex ratios). The results show a significant
 increase in F allele frequency under higher sexual selection intensity at
 12°C. This suggests that individuals with the F allele gain reproductive
 advantage at lower temperatures, and 6Pgdh polymorphism may be maintained
 through a three-way interaction for fitness between genotype, abiotic
 environment (temperature), and biotic environment (sex ratio). In
 addition, in a direct assay of male reproductive success across
 temperatures, we did not detect differences between genotypes. This
 suggests that the allele frequency shifts observed in the experimental
 evolution may not be explained solely by reproductive competition, but
 could also involve selection acting on survival or other fitness
 components. The complex interplay between environmental factors and
 demographic dynamics in shaping allele frequencies highlights that
 multiple factors can interact in maintaining polymorphism, potentially
 through context-dependent selection.
description: # Data from: The interplay of biotic and abiotic factors in shaping
 genetic variation at 6Pgdh in the bulb mite Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.crjdfn3jp](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.crjdfn3jp) ##
 Description of the data and file structure This dataset contains the data
 required to replicate the analyses presented in Unnikrishnan et al.
 (2025), which test the hypothesis that interactions between abiotic
 temperature conditions and biotic sexual selection intensity jointly shape
 allele frequency dynamics at the metabolic gene *6Pgdh* in the bulb mite
 *Rhizoglyphus robini*. Experimental evolution data were collected from a
 13-generation experiment using a 2 × 2 factorial design, comprising two
 temperature regimes (12°C and 18°C) and two adult sex-ratio treatments
 (equal sex ratio vs. female-biased ratio). Twenty replicate populations
 were established (five per treatment combination), and allele frequencies
 at the *6Pgdh* S/F polymorphism were measured at multiple evolutionary
 time points. The dataset also includes results from a competitive male
 reproductive success assay, using the sterile-male technique, in which
 males of known *6Pgdh* genotype competed against irradiated tester males.
 Assays were conducted at three temperatures (8°C, 12°C, and 24°C), and
 reproductive success was quantified from the proportion of fertilized eggs
 that hatched. ### Files and variables #### File: Exp_evo_main.xlsx
 **Description:** This file contains allele frequency data from the
 13-generation experimental evolution study. Twenty replicate populations
 (five per treatment combination across two temperatures and two sex-ratio
 regimes) were genotyped at multiple generations to quantify *6Pgdh*
 genotype and allele frequencies over time. ##### Variables: * Temperature:
 Temperature treatment at which the population was evolved (°C); values:
 12, 18. - Population: Unique population ID (1–20), corresponding to 20
 independent replicate populations. * Pop_new: Standardized population ID
 based only on sex-ratio treatment (1–10). - Sex_ratio: Sex-ratio treatment
 of the replicate; values: "equal" (40♀:40♂) or
 "female-biased" (64♀:16♂). * Generation: Generation number
 sampled (0, 1, 2, 7, 8, 12, 13). - No_SS: Number of individuals genotyped
 as SS. * No_FF: Number of individuals genotyped as FF. - No_SF: Number of
 individuals genotyped as SF. * No_total: Total number of individuals
 genotyped in that population × generation. - SS_freq: Frequency of SS
 genotype (No_SS / No_total). * FF_freq: Frequency of FF genotype (No_FF /
 No_total). - SF_freq: Frequency of SF genotype (No_SF / No_total). *
 S_freq: Frequency of the S allele. - F_freq: Frequency of the F allele.
 #### File: reproductive_success_main.xlsx **Description:** This file
 contains data from the competitive male reproductive success assay, in
 which males of known *6Pgdh* genotype competed against irradiated tester
 males at three temperatures. Reproductive success was quantified based on
 the fraction of transferred eggs that successfully hatched. #####
 Variables: * ID: Unique identifier for each male (1–542). - temp:
 Temperature at which the trial was conducted (°C); values: 8, 12, 24. *
 pop_ID: ID (1–4) of the experimental-evolution source population from
 which each male originated. - block_id: Experimental block in which the
 trial occurred; values: 1 or 2. * temp_ID: Within-temperature sequential
 ID for males, restarting at 1 for each temperature and block. -
 eggs_trans: Number of eggs transferred to the scoring dish for hatching
 (maximum 20). * eggs_hatched: Number of eggs that successfully hatched. -
 m_geno: Genotype of the male; values: SS, SF, FF. * fraction: Proportion
 of eggs that hatched (eggs_hatched / eggs_trans). This value represents
 the male’s reproductive success relative to the irradiated competitor. ##
 Code/software No custom code or scripts are included in this submission.
 The dataset consists of standard .xlsx files, which can be opened using
 any common spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc,
 Google Sheets). No specialised or proprietary software is required to view
 or interpret the data. All variables are fully defined in the accompanying
 README documentation.