Data sets and analysis scripts underlying the manuscript 'Rapid evolution of olfactory degradation in recently flightless insects'
Hypothesis
Fast-moving animals need fast-acting sensory systems. Flying insects have exceptionally fast senses.
For example, flighted insects can track the temporal structure of odour plumes at rates above 100 Hz,
and it has been hypothesized that this fast smelling capability is an adaptation for flying.
We test this hypothesis by comparing the olfactory acuity of sympatric flighted versus flightless
lineages within a wing-polymorphic stonefly species.
Data
We did electroantennogram recordings from sympatric wing-reduced and full-winged stoneflies.
We always measured 4 stonefly antennae simultanously (2 full-winged and 2 wing-reduced).
As stimuli, we presented a set of different odorants with varying valve opening durations.
Each odorant - pulse duration combination was presented 10 times and we calculated the median response
trace over the ten odorant pulses of the same type.
Dataset 1 & 01_Analysis_Dataset1.R
Dataset 1 resembles the data for Fig 1, Fig 2, and Fig S1.
Median traces of electroantennogram recordings from wing-reduced and full-winged stoneflies
from five different sampling locations in the South Island of New Zealand. As comparison,
we also recorded honeybee antennae. Recordings with the photoionisation device (PID) show the
dynamics of odorant concentration changes.
Dataset 2 & 02_Analysis_Dataset2.R
Dataset 2 resembles the data for Fig S2.
To test whether the signal strength of live antennae is dependent on their physical properties,
we utilized the negative signals in dead antennae induced by propionic acid (physical property)
and compared them to the response strength to 2-heptanone (because this odorant induced the
strongest responses) of the same antennae, but when still alive.
Dataset 2 contains electroantennogram recordings of nine additional stonefly antennae.
Each of the recorded antennae was recorded twice with the same stimulus protocol. In between the
two protocols, the antennae were killed with hot water vapour.
