DOI: 10.5061/dryad.51c59zwn0
title: Data from: RNA interference reveals that male nuptial gift proteins affect female behavior to increase male paternity share in decorated crickets

description: In response to sexual conflict, males have evolved strategies to
 manipulate female behavior and physiology to increase their paternity. One
 hypothesis posits that males of some insects use nuptial food gifts given
 to females at copulation to achieve this. In decorated crickets, Gryllodes
 sigillatus, the male’s nuptial gift, the spermatophylax, is consumed by
 the female after mating, prior to her removing a sperm-containing ampulla.
 Spermatophylax feeding deters premature termination of sperm transfer,
 thereby enhancing male paternity. We hypothesized that spermatophylax
 (SPX) proteins play a key role in sexual conflict and are a route through
 which males manipulate female future reproductive behavior to their own
 fitness benefit. We used RNA interference to knock down gene expression of
 SPX1 and SPX2, the most abundant SPX proteins, assessing focal male mating
 and female remating. Males with reduced SPX1/2 expression had lower mating
 success, and females fed for a shorter time on their spermatophylaxes.
 Moreover, females mated with SPX1/2 knockdown males had reduced latency to
 remate and fed longer on spermatophylaxes upon remating. Our results
 provide evidence that spermatophylax proteins play important roles in
 mediating sexual conflict, enhancing a male’s paternity share by
 increasing his sperm transfer time, while decreasing that of competitors
 in subsequent matings.
description: # RNA interference reveals that male nuptial gift proteins affect female
 behavior to increase male paternity share in decorated crickets Data on
 the effect of spermatophylax protein 1 and 2 gene expression knockdown
 (SPX1_KD_isoforms_dryad.csv) on the production and composition of
 decorated cricket nuptial gifts (SPX1_KD_gift_weight_dryad.csv) and
 behavior of the focal male and the female mating partner and her behavior
 in a subsequent mating (SPX1_KD_behavior_dryad.csv). #### Description of
 the Data and file structure Unmeasured values or cells with no data are
 denoted with NA. **SPX1_KD_isoforms_dryad.csv** Sample: Male sample ID
 Treatment: RNAi treatment of GFP (control) or SPX (knockdown) SPX1A:
 relative expression (normalized to expression of housekeeping genes) of
 isoform A of SPX1 SPX1C: relative expression (normalized to expression of
 housekeeping genes) of isoform C of SPX1 SPX1D: relative expression
 (normalized to expression of housekeeping genes) of isoform D of SPX1
 SPX1E: relative expression (normalized to expression of housekeeping
 genes) of isoform E of SPX1 SPX2A: relative expression (normalized to
 expression of housekeeping genes) of isoform A of SPX1 SPX2B: relative
 expression (normalized to expression of housekeeping genes) of isoform B
 of SPX1 **SPX1_KD_gift_weight_dryad.csv** ID: Male sample ID Block:
 Temporal grouping of males Treatment: RNAi treatment of GFP (control) or
 SPX (knockdown) Date_Injected: Date at which treatment injection took
 place Gift: If the individual produced a gift (1) or did not (0)
 Wet_mass_mg: The wet mass of the produced spermatophylax in mg
 Dry_mass_mg: The mass of the produced spermatophylax in mg following
 drying Comments: Relevant comments **SPX1_KD_behavior_dryad.csv** SPX_trt:
 RNAi treatment of GFP (control) or SPX (knockdown) MaleID: Male cricket
 individual identification number Female_status: if female was virgin or
 prior mated at focal male mating Number_females: number of females offered
 to male First_mated: if males mated with the first female offered Mating1:
 If the focal mating occurred Latency_court_mate1: Latency time (minutes)
 from focal male courtship initiation to mounting Feeding_duration1:
 Duration of female feeding on spermatophylax from focal male (minutes)
 Full_consumption1: If spermatophylax of focal male was fully consumed (1)
 or not (0) Mating2: If the female partner subsequently remated with an
 offered reference male Latency_court_mate2: Latency time (minutes) from
 reference male courtship initiation to remating Feeding_duration2:
 Duration of female feeding on spermatophylax from reference male remating
 (minutes) Full_consumption2: If spermatophylax from reference male
 remating was fully consumed (1) or not (0) Comments: Relevant comments