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.

# Data from: Nutritional geometry provides insight into the dual roles of
natural and sexual selection in insect cuticular hydrocarbon evolution
Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.70rxwdcbh](10.5061/dryad.70rxwdcbh) ##
Description of the data and file structure ### Files and variables These
files contain the data to reproduce the analyses presented in Simmons,
L.W., Lovegrove, M., Foo, Y.Z., Du,^^ X.(B.), Ren, Y., and Melissa L.
Thomas, M.L. (2025). Nutritional geometry provides insight into the dual
roles of natural and sexual selection in insect cuticular hydrocarbon
evolution. Functional Ecology. #### File: Simmons_et_al_2025.csv
**Description:** For each case, a cricket was fed 1 of 24 diets (Diet,
column A). The macronutrient composition of each diet can be found in
Table S1 of the online supporting material available from the journal
website. Within diets, each cricket was given an ID (column B) and its
date of eclosion to adulthood noted (Eclosion_date, column C). Cricket
weight was estimated in mg (Weight_at_eclose_mg, column D). The total
weight of diet consumed during the experiment was measured
(Total_amt_consumed_mg, column E), and the amount of protein
(Protein_eaten_mg, column F) and carbohydrate (Carbohydrate_eaten_mg,
column G) consumed was calculated from the % of each macronutrient
contained in each cricket’s diet. The amount of protein and carbohydrate
eaten was then divided by weight at eclosion to control for size effects
of diet intake (P_mg and C_mg, columns H and I, respectively). The total
number of days a cricket was given access to the diet was recorded
(days_on_diet, column J) and used to calculate the intake rate of protein
and carbohydrate as mg per mg of cricket per day (P_mg_day, column V;
C_mg_day, column W), which were used in our analyses. Crickets were
assayed for attractiveness by providing them with a sexually receptive
female each day for 5 days. The number of females courted
(No_of_courtships, column K) and the number of courtships resulting in a
mating (No_of_matings, column L) were used to calculate attractiveness as
a proportion (Attractiveness, column N). The age of the cricket at the
start of attractiveness assays is given (Age_at_assay_attractiveness,
column M).  Crickets were then assayed for their desiccation resistance.
They were weighed (weight_in mg, column O) and placed in a hydrating
environment for 48h before being re-weighed (weight_out mg, column P). We
noted whether males died (0) or not (1) during the desiccation assay
(Died_during_assay_0, column Q). Water loss was calculated as the weight
difference (column O minus column P) (waterloss_mg, column R). Crickets
were then dried to constant weight to obtain a measure of body mass
(Dry_weight, column R) with which to calculate a size-standardized water
loss, which was reverse scored to yield our measure of desiccation
resistance. Scores on the first and second principal axes for cuticular
hydrocarbon data were used as measures of CHC abundance (PC1, column T)
and blend (PC2, column U) Empty cells indicate missing data because the
individual had died.  We assessed the effect of diet on mortality by
noting whether a cricket died (1) or not (0) before the start of the
attractiveness assay (died_before_start, column X). #### File:
Simmons_et_al_2025_CHCs.csv **Description:** The file Simmons et al 2025
CHCs.csv contains data on the abundance in parts per million of each of 22
compounds (columns C-X) found in the cuticular hydrocarbon profile. Column
names indicate peak number and compound ID (eg, 9_C31:2 refers to peak 9
in the CHC profile identified as C31:2).  The first two axes of variation
following a principal components analysis are provided in columns Y and Z
(Prin 1 and Prin2). Diet (column 1) and male ID (column 2) are provided as
in the main data file Simmons et al 2025.csv