DOI: 10.5061/dryad.184gk80
title: Data from: Parental effects of male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) on ARTs of haploid sons

description: Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) represent distinct behavioral
 phenotypes to maximize reproductive success within the same sex, primarily
 males, and may be genetically and/or conditionally determined. Across
 animals, intragenerational determinants of conditional ARTs are relatively
 well understood but transgenerational (non-genetic) effects of parental
 ARTs on filial ARTs are largely unknown. Here, we assessed parental
 effects of conditional male ARTs on sons’ ARTs in arrhenotokous spider
 mites Tetranychus urticae. Arrhenotoky, i.e. males arising from
 unfertilized and females from fertilized eggs, sets the stage for sexual
 and transgenerational conflicts between male mates and females and their
 sons. Male ARTs of T. urticae are dichotomous, fighting and sneaking, and
 apparent in male-male combat and pre-copulatory guarding behavior. Due to
 haplodiploidy, male ARTs can only exert non-genetic effects on sons of
 their mates. We hypothesized that parental ART effects are likely to occur
 in T. urticae because maternal ART mating status (unmated, sneaker- or
 fighter-mated) is indicative of the offspring’ social environment and ART
 flexibility rather prevails in younger than older males. Fighter-mated
 mothers produced more offspring than unmated mothers and had a more
 daughter-biased offspring sex ratio than sneaker-mated mothers. Sons of
 fighter-mated mothers were more likely to guard and did so earlier than
 sons of unmated and sneaker-mated mothers. Unmated and sneaker-mated, but
 not fighter-mated, mothers produced sneaker sons that were quicker to
 start guarding than were fighter sons. Proximately, parental ART effects
 on sons’ ARTs were most likely mediated by differences in seminal fluids.
 Ultimately, observed alterations of sons’ ARTs represent adaptive maternal
 responses to ART phenotypes rather than manipulation by male mates.
 Fighter-mated mothers tuned filial ARTs to male-competitive environments
 whereas unmated and sneaker-mated mothers tuned them to benign
 environments. Observed alterations in reproductive traits of fighter-mated
 mothers suggest adaptive manipulation by the fighter phenotype or aligned
 male and female interests. Overall, our study documents previously unknown
 transgenerational ART effects on haploid sons’ ARTs.
description: # Data from: Parental effects of male alternative reproductive tactics
 (ARTs) on ARTs of haploid sons
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.184gk80](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.184gk80) ## Description of the data and file structure * Replicate…replicate number * Mother…mating status of the mother (unmated; S_mated = mated to a sneaker; F_mated = mated to a fighter) of the experimental males * Fem1Eggs…number of eggs of the first female * Fem1Daughters…number of daughters of the first female * Fem1Sons…number of sons of the first female * Fem1Adults…number of offspring of the first female reaching adulthood * Fem2Eggs…number of eggs of the second female * Fem2Daughters…number of daughters of the second female * Fem2Sons…number of sons of the second female * Fem2Adults…number of offspring of the second female reaching adulthood * Fem3Eggs…number of eggs of the third female * Fem3Daughters…number of daughters of the third female * Fem3Sons…number of sons of the third female * Fem3Adults…number of offspring of the third female reaching adulthood Cells are empty when the female died or was lost * Time…observation time (min) * Ambulating…number of ambulating males * Grouping…number of grouping males * Guarding…number of guarding males * ART…reproductive tactic of the guarding male (fighter or sneaker; 0 for no guard) * Fighter…reproductive tactic of guarding male (1 for yes) * Sneaker…reproductive tactic of guarding male (1 for yes) * GuardRank…Rank of guard (first guard, second guard) * Ind/Disc…number of males present per disc ## Access information n/a