Data from: Parental effects of male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) on ARTs of haploid sons

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.