10.5061/DRYAD.4P6V6
Bonal, Raul
University of Extremadura
Hernández, Marisa
Complutense University of Madrid
Espelta, Josep Maria
Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications
Muñoz, Alberto
Complutense University of Madrid
Aparicio, José M.
Institute for Game and Wildlife Research
Data from: Unexpected consequences of a drier world: evidence that delay
in late summer rains biases the population sex ratio of an insect
Dryad
dataset
2015
Quercus ilex
Curculio elephas
2015-07-29T17:16:18Z
2015-07-29T17:16:18Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150198
54750 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The complexity of animal life histories makes it difficult to predict the
consequences of climate change on their populations. In this paper, we
show, for the first time, that longer summer drought episodes, such as
those predicted for the dry Mediterranean region under climate change, may
bias insect population sex ratio. Many Mediterranean organisms, like the
weevil Curculio elephas, become active again after summer drought. This
insect depends on late summer rainfall to soften the soil and allow adult
emergence from their underground refuges. We found that, as in many
protandric species, more C. elephas females emerged later in the season.
Male emergence timing was on average earlier and also more dependent on
the beginning of late summer rainfall. When these rains were delayed, the
observed weevil sex ratio was biased towards females. So far, the effects
of global warming on animal sex ratios has been reported for
temperature-dependent sex determination in reptiles. Our results show that
rainfall timing can also bias the sex ratio in an insect, and highlight
the need for keeping a phenological perspective to predict the
consequences of climate change. We must consider not just the magnitude of
the predicted changes in temperature and rainfall but also the effects of
their timing.
Full_data_set_Bonal_RSOS_2015The Excel file contains 5 data Sheets. The
first one includes the information of the number of males and females
collected in those traps in which at least one individual was captured. It
also includes the date of the beginning of late summer rain and the total
rainfall recorded all over the weevil emergence period for each year. The
second sheet includes the number of males and females collected along the
weevil emergence period pooling together the data of the five study years.
The third shows the mean emergence date of the males and females collected
at each trap and the date of the beginning of late summer rainfall each
study year. The fourth and the fifth include the mean elytra length of the
females and males collected at each trap along the weevil emergence period
pooling together the data of the five study years. The sixth includes the
rainfall probability along the weevil emergence period pooling together
the date from all the temporal series available at the meteorological
station. In all cases the sampling unit is the trap. The study period was
divided in 12 weeks: Week 1 (August 4th to 10th ) to Week 12 (October 20th
to 26th). Sex is coded as 1 males and 2 females. For the dates Julian
dates are used, being January 1st the Day 1. Rainfall was recorded in
litres/m2.Bonal_RSOS_2015.xlsx
Central Spain
Europe