DOI: 10.5061/dryad.5qfttdzkk
title: Life-history responses of the fall webworm <em>Hyphantria cunea</em> to temperature change: Not following the temperature–size rule

description: Temperature serves as a critical environmental factor for ectotherms and
 significantly impacts numerous life history traits. This study
 examined the influence of temperature on life-history
 traits of the fall webworm Hyphantria cunea at 20, 22,
 24, 26 and 28 °C. There were no significant
 differences in larval survival rates across the
 temperatures tested. However, pupal survival at
 28 °C was significantly lower compared
 to other temperatures. Sex ratios remained consistent at
 20–26 °C but skewed toward males at 28 °C. The
 developmental time from egg to adult decreased as the
 temperature rose, with males emerging earlier than females
 (protandry), primarily due to shorter larval stages.
 Pupal weight exhibited temperature- and sex-dependent trends: female pupae
 peaked at 22°C (184.6 mg) and there was a 9.2% increase at
 28 °C as compared with 20 °C,
 demonstrating a reverse temperature-size rule. In
 contrast, male pupal weight decreased by 8.2% at
 28 °C, indicating greater thermal sensitivity.
 Growth rates increased with temperature, showing sex-specific variations
 at lower temperatures. Adult weight mirrored pupal trends, with females
 consistently larger than males. Metamorphic weight loss
 increased with temperature in both sexes, but males experienced
 more pronounced losses. Female-biased sexual size
 dimorphism (SSD) is inclined to increase along with
 weight gain and temperature, not conforming to the
 Rensch’s rule. Furthermore, positive relationships
 were discovered between pupal weight and larval development time,
 and between adult weight and fecundity. These findings
 emphasize temperature-driven plasticity in development, SSD, and
 thermal tolerance, highlighting the species’ adaptability to warming
 climates and its implications for pest management strategies.
description: # Life-history responses of the fall webworm *Hyphantria cunea* to
 temperature change: Not following the temperature–size rule Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.5qfttdzkk](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.5qfttdzkk) ##
 Description of the data and file structure This study investigates how
 temperature affects life-history traits of the fall webworm (Hyphantria
 cunea), an invasive pest moth. We examined development time, survival,
 body weight, growth rate, sexual size dimorphism (SSD), and fecundity
 across five constant temperatures (20–28 °C). Results reveal sex-specific
 responses to temperature, with females showing a reverse temperature–size
 rule and males exhibiting higher thermal sensitivity. The dataset includes
 individual-level life-history data and reproductive metrics, supporting
 findings on protandry, SSD, and fecundity advantages. Two Excel files are
 supplied: File-1 = individual life-table raw measurements; File-2 = paired
 reproductive outputs of mated females. All work was conducted under
 constant photoperiod (L:D 15:9 h) and 70 ± 15 % RH except the
 mating/oviposition phase (see paper). ### Files and variables #### File:
 Life-history_original_data_of_Hyphantria_cunea.xls **Records: 2,485
 individual larvae/pupae/adults** **Variables & abbreviations (column
 headers exactly as in file):** | Variable | Unit / code | Description | |
 ----------------------- | ----------- |
 ---------------------------------------------------- | | Temperature (°C)
 | °C | Constant rearing temperature treatment | | Sex | ♀ / ♂ | Determined
 at adult emergence | | Number | integer | Running individual ID within
 temperature & sex | | Group | e.g. “20-1” | Rearing box (random
 effect, 6 boxes per temperature) | | Larval time (d) | days | Egg-hatch →
 prepupa | | Pupal time (d) | days | Prepupa → adult eclosion | | Pupal
 weight (mg) | mg | Fresh mass ≤ 24 h after pupation | | Growth rate (ln mg
 d⁻¹) | ln(mg)/d | ln(pupal weight) / larval time | | Adult weight (mg) |
 mg | Fresh mass after meconium release | | Weight loss (%) | % | 100 ×
 \\[1 – (adult weight / pupal weight)] | #### File:
 Reproductive_biology_original_data_of_Hyphantria_cunea.xls **Records:**
 196 successfully mated females (30 pairs per temp., final numbers reflect
 mortality & mating failure)\ **Variables & abbreviations:** |
 Variable | Unit / code | Description | | ------------------------- |
 ----------- |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------- | |
 Temperature (º C) | °C | Same constant rearing temperature as above | |
 Female pupal weight (mg) | mg | Pupal mass of the focal female (same
 weighing protocol) | | Female adult weight (mg) | mg | Adult mass of the
 same female | | Male pupal weight (mg) | mg | Pupal mass of the male
 partner (not always the sire, but paired) | | Male adult weight (mg) | mg
 | Adult mass of the same male | | Preoviposition period (d) | days | Adult
 emergence → first egg laid | | Oviposition period (d) | days | First →
 last egg laid | | Longevity of female (d) | days | Adult lifespan of the
 focal female | | Longevity of male (d) | days | Adult lifespan of the
 paired male | | Fecundity (eggs/female) | count | Total eggs laid by the
 female during her lifetime | ## Code/software **Software Required to View
 Data** All data files provided in this submission are standard
 tab-delimited text files in `.xls` format (Excel 97-2003 Workbook). These
 can be opened using any of the following free or open-source software: *
 **Microsoft Excel Viewer** (for Windows users who do not have Excel
 installed) * **LibreOffice Calc** (version 7.5 or later; cross-platform,
 open-source) * **Apache OpenOffice Calc** (version 4.1 or later;
 cross-platform, open-source) * **Google Sheets** (web-based, free with a
 Google account) * **R** (version 4.2.0 or later) with the **readxl**
 package (version 1.4.0 or later) for programmatic access **Software Used
 for Analysis** All statistical analyses described in the manuscript were
 performed using: * **IBM SPSS Statistics** (version 22.0) * Used for:
 Linear mixed models, ANOVA, Tukey’s HSD post hoc tests, t-tests, linear
 regression, and nonparametric tests as described in the Methods section. *
 No custom scripts or syntax files are included; all analyses were
 conducted using the SPSS GUI. **Workflow Summary** 1. Raw data were
 entered and organized in Excel (.xls) files. 2. Data were imported into
 SPSS 22.0 for statistical analysis. 3. Figures were generated using SPSS
 output and refined in Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Illustrator. 4. No
 custom code or scripts are included in this submission. **File-Software
 Relationship** * **Life-history original data of Hyphantria cunea.xls**
 and **Reproductive biology original data of Hyphantria cunea.xls** are raw
 data files. * These files can be opened directly in any of the spreadsheet
 software listed above. * No preprocessing or scripting is required to view
 or use the data.