Data from: Controlling invasive rodents via synthetic gene drive and the role of polyandry

House mice are a major ecosystem pest, particularly threatening island
ecosystems as a non-native invasive species. Rapid advances in synthetic
biology offer new avenues to control pest species for biodiversity
conservation. Recently, a synthetic sperm killing gene drive construct
called t-Sry has been proposed as a means to eradicate target mouse
populations due to a lack of females. A factor that has received little
attention in the discussion surrounding such drive applications is
polyandry. Previous research has demonstrated that sperm killing drivers
are extremely damaging to a male's sperm competitive ability. Here we
examine the importance of this effect on the t-Sry system using a
theoretical model. We find that polyandry substantially hampers the spread
of t-Sry such that release efforts have to be increased 3- to 6-fold for
successful eradication. We discuss the implications of our finding for
pest potential control programs, the risk of drive spread beyond the
target population, and the emergence of drive resistance. Our work
highlights that a solid understanding of the forces that determine drive
dynamics in a natural setting are key for successful drive application,
and that exploring the natural diversity of gene drives may inform
effective gene drive design.