Data for: Behavioural plasticity compensates for adaptive loss of cricket song

Behavioral flexibility could help animals cope with costs of genetic variants under selection, promoting unexpected genetic adaptation. To test this, we investigated how a critical acoustic communication signal – song – was rapidly lost due to genetic mutation in crickets exposed to lethal, eavesdropping parasitoids. We first determined that offspring production was equivalent in replicate silent versus singing populations using a controlled, naturalistic arena. Using our custom engineered high-resolution individual-based tracking system for low-light conditions, we found that fitness compensation in silent conditions was associated with increased locomotion in both sexes. Our results provide direct evidence that flexible behavior can promote genetic adaptation via compensation in reproductive output. The rapid evolution of animal communication systems may be less constrained than previously appreciated., , , # Cricket tracking and demographics

Tracking output_main: These data result from the tracking of multiple crickets during a three hour period. Cricket locations were extracted from a series of images, movement metrics were calculated in MATLAB and collated in this file. The statistical analysis was then performed in R using this dataset.

Hawaii demographics: These data were collected on Hawaiian islands in order to determine the cricket density and demographics to use in the tracking experiment. Grids were placed in field locations and crickets were counted. Full methods in published article.

trial_corrected.mat: This is the raw X/Y movement data, as output by the tracking system.

exportDataToSpreadsheet.m This MATLAB script is used to obtain the movement metrics ('tracking output_main.xlsx') from the raw movement data.

## Description of the data and file structure

Tracking output_main: Distance is given in pixels moved. Convert to meters by dividing by 4000. Time is always giv...