Unravelling mate choice evolution through indirect genetic effects

Attractiveness is not solely determined by a single sexual trait but rather by a combination of traits. Because the response of the chooser is based on the combination of sexual traits in the courter, variation in the chooser’s responses that are attributable to the opposite-sex courter genotypes (i.e., the indirect genetic effects (IGEs) on chooser response) can reflect genetic variation in overall attractiveness. This genetic variation can be associated with the genetic basis of other traits in both the chooser and the courter. Investigating this complex genetic architecture, including IGEs, can enhance our understanding of the evolution of mate choice. In the present study on the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, we estimated (1) genetic variation in overall attractiveness and (2) genetic correlations between overall attractiveness and other pre- and post-copulatory traits (e.g., male latency to sing, female latency to mount, male guarding intensity, male and female body mass, male ..., , , # Data from: Unravelling mate choice evolution through indirect genetic effects [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7m0cfxq41](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7m0cfxq41) ## Description of the data and file structure **finaldata_Han_2024_Evolett_DATA.xlsx** NAs represent missing or unavailable data due to sex-specific traits. ANIMAL - focal individual ID partnerID - partner individual ID maleID - male ID femaleID - female ID testingorder- testing order zl_singm - z-transformed male latency to sing (ANIMAL=maleID,partnerID=femaleID) zl_singf - z-transformed male latency to sing (ANIMAL=femaleID,partnerID=maleID) zmandible - z-transformed male mandible size ztestes - z-transformed male testis size z1matem - z-transformed female latency to mount (ANIMAL=maleID,partnerID=femaleID) z1matef - z-transformed female latency to mount (ANIMAL=femaleID,partnerID=maleID) zmmass - z-transformed male body mass zfmass - z-transformed female body mass sex - sex **finaldata_Han_2024_Evolett_PE...