Data on female oviposition behaviour of the Pararge aegeria butterfly in outdoor cages (2019–2020)

We studied oviposition behavior in a butterfly (Pararge aegeria) that used
to be confined to forest, but recently colonized anthropogenic areas too.
This provides an ideal study system when trying to understand the
underlying processes of niche expansion and colonisation success. The
dataset produced allows us to test to what extent ecotype origin
(agricultural vs. forest landscape types) and larval developmental
conditions (open field  vs. canopy-covered forest floors) affect
multiple features of oviposition behahaviour. We also performed multiple
behavioural trials per individual and considered changes in oviposition
site preference within and over trials.  The two provided files
contain all behavioral or independent variables that were obtained during
behavioural tracking of the oviposition behaviour of the Speckled Wood
butterfly (Pararge aegeria) in an outdoor cage in 2019 and 2020. In the
'femdata' file, each line contains all dependent (e.g.,
proportion of time spent active) and independent variables (e.g.
ecotype)  that apply for a single observation trial of 30 minutes
of a single individual.In total, 211 observation trials were performed, by
110 different female individuals.  In the 'ovimdata'
file, each line contains all variables for a single oviposition bout
(i.e., if a butterfly curls its abdomen on a surface and lays
eggs).  Examples include number of eggs per bout, the height
above ground where an egg was laid and temperature at the egg laying site.
These data were for example used to track changes over consecutive bouts
within a single trial. In total 275 oviposition bouts were observe, laid
by 85 different female individuals. Data of the ovimdata file were also
implemented in the femdata file. For example, in the femdata file
information can be obtained about the properties of the first oviposition
bout an individual made during that trial (starting with 'b1').