Data from: Nutritional geometry provides insight into the dual roles of natural and sexual selection in insect cuticular hydrocarbon evolution

Interactions between natural and sexual selection have been integral to
the development of sexual selection theory, yet the role of natural
selection in sexual trait evolution has received far less empirical
attention than the role of sexual selection, and the extent to which
natural and sexual selection are aligned remains an important empirical
question. Insect cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) provide a good model for
exploring interactions between natural and sexual selection because of
their dual roles in sexual signalling and desiccation resistance. We used
the geometric framework for nutrition to explore the potential for, and
magnitude of trade-offs between male attractiveness, desiccation
resistance, and the abundance and blend of CHCs in the cricket
Teleogryllus oceanicus. Attractiveness and desiccation resistance were
both maximized on a diet that was rich in carbohydrate relative to
protein. Although maximum expressions occurred at significantly different
locations in nutritional space, the difference in angles between maximum
attractiveness and desiccation resistance was small. Attractiveness and
desiccation resistance were both associated with CHCs of moderate, rather
than maximum, abundance and with a blend that was rich in two
shorter-chained alkenes relative to a single longer-chained alkane.
Partial correlations between fitness traits suggested that CHCs contribute
indirectly to male attractiveness via their role in desiccation
resistance. Our findings are consistent with the idea that natural and
sexual selection on CHCs can be broadly aligned, facilitating rapid
adaptation to ecological conditions and promoting speciation.