RNA interference reveals that male nuptial gift proteins affect female behavior to increase male paternity share in decorated crickets

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 ..., , # 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
SPX...,