Data from: Experimental manipulation reveals a trade-off between weapons and testes

Theory predicts a trade-off between sexually-selected weapons used to secure mates and post-copulatory traits used to maximize fertilization success. However, individuals that have a greater capacity to acquire resources from the environment may invest more in both pre- and post-copulatory traits, and trade-offs may not be readily apparent. Here, we manipulate the phenotype of developing individuals to examine allocation trade-offs between weapons and testes in Mictis profana (Hemiptera: Coreidae), a species where the hind legs are sexually selected weapons used in contests over access to females. We experimentally prevented males from developing weapons by inducing them to autotomize their hind legs before the final molt to adulthood. We compared trait expression in this group to males where autotomy was induced in the mid legs, which are presumably not under sexual selection to the same extent. We found males without weapons invested proportionally more in testes mass than those with their mid legs removed. Males that developed to adulthood without weapons did not differ from the mid leg removal group in other traits potentially under pre-copulatory sexual selection, other post-copulatory traits, or naturally selected traits. In addition, a sample of adult males from the same population in the wild revealed a positive correlation between investment in testes and weapons. Our study presents a critical contribution to a growing body of literature suggesting the allocation of resources to pre- and post-copulatory sexual traits is influenced by a resource allocation trade-off and that this trade-off may only be revealed with experimental manipulation.,Morphology of Mictis profana after experimentally preventing leg developement. Data also from wild caught M. profana.This data consists of morphological measurements of multiple morphological traits (pre-copulatory, post-copulatory and naturally selected), from two experimental groups. One group was prevented from developing mid-legs at their 5th instar, the other was prevented from developing much larger hind-legs. This data also contains morphological measures of wild-caught adults.Somjee_MictisData_JEB-2017_DRYAD.xls,

理论预测，用于获取配偶的性选择武器（sexually-selected weapons）与用于最大化受精成功率的交配后（post-copulatory）性状之间存在资源权衡。然而，具备更强环境资源获取能力的个体，可在交配前（pre-copulatory）与交配后性状上投入更多资源，因此此类权衡往往不易被直观观测到。
本研究通过调控发育个体的表型，以检验盲蝽*Mictis profana*（半翅目Hemiptera：缘蝽科Coreidae）的武器与精巢间的资源分配权衡。该物种的后足为用于争夺雌性交配权的性选择武器。我们通过诱导雄性在最终蜕皮为成虫前自割后足，实验性阻断其武器的发育，并将该组个体的性状表达与中足自割诱导组进行对比——中足推测不会受到同等程度的性选择。
结果显示，无武器的雄性个体的精巢质量投入比例显著高于中足被切除的雄性。未发育出武器的雄性个体，其其他可能受交配前性选择、其他交配后性状或自然选择性状（naturally selected traits）的指标，与中足切除组并无显著差异。此外，对同一野生种群成年雄性的采样表明，精巢投入与武器投入呈正相关。
本研究为日益增长的相关学术文献提供了关键贡献：此类研究表明，资源向交配前与交配后性性状的分配受资源分配权衡的调控，且该权衡仅能通过实验操控得以揭示。

本数据集同时包含实验性阻断腿部发育后的盲蝽形态学数据，以及野生捕获的该物种形态学数据。数据集涵盖两类实验组的多项形态性状（交配前、交配后及自然选择相关性状）的测量数据：一组在5龄若虫阶段被阻断中足发育，另一组被阻断体积更大的后足发育。本数据集还包含野生捕获成年个体的形态测量指标，数据集文件为：Somjee_MictisData_JEB-2017_DRYAD.xls