Data from: Diverse reproductive barriers in hybridising crickets suggests extensive variation in the evolution and maintenance of isolation

We use the hybridising field crickets Gryllus bimaculatus and G. campestris as a model to understand the full compliment and relative strength of reproductive barriers. We find that males of both species prefer conspecific females, but the effect is probably too weak to represent a barrier. In contrast, prezygotic barriers caused by females being more attracted to conspecific male song and preferentially mounting and mating with conspecifics are strong and asymmetric.

Postzygotic barriers vary in direction; reductions in fecundity and egg viability create selection against hybridisation, but hybrids live longer than pure-bred individuals. Hybrid females show a strong preference for G. bimaculatus songs, which together with a complete lack of hybridisation by G. campestris females, suggests that asymmetric gene flow is likely. For comparison, we review reproductive barriers that have been identified between other Gryllids and conclude that multiple barriers are common.

Different species pairs are separated by qualitatively different combinations of barriers, suggesting that reproductive isolation and even the process of speciation itself may vary widely even within closely related groups. Usage notes 1_phonotaxis_no_choice Data from the no-choice phonotaxis experiment as described in the prezygotic long-range mating behaviour section of the Results and presented in Figure 2. 2_phonotaxis_two_choice Data from the two-choice phonotaxis experiment as described in the Prezygotic long-range mating behaviour section of the Results and presented in Figure 2. 3_close_range_choice Data from the short-range mating trials as described in the Prezygotic short-range mating behaviour section of the Results and presented in Figure 3. 4_longevity Longevity data for male and female crickets as analysed in the section Postzygotic barriers in the Results section and depicted in Figure 4. 5_egg_count_and_hatching_success The number of eggs laid and the hatching success from pairs of three different pairing types as analysed in the section Postzygotic barriers in the Results section and depicted in Figure 5 and 6. 6_reproductive_isolation The absolute contribution of sequential reproductive barriers to the total reproductive isolation between between G. bimaculatus and G. campestris for each of the two mixed-species pairing types as depicted in Figure 1B. 7_Gryllidae_barrier_overview The file '7_Gryllidae_barrier_overview.csv' contains the summary data of the reproductive barriers found in the Gryllidae as depicted in Figure 7.

The first column is the genus and the second the species involved in the pairing. Each subsequent column represents a different barrier. The rows should be treated in pairs(2-3, 4-5, etc (including the header as a row)), as they each contain the data of one of two possible mixed-species crosses.

The Latin name in each row refers to the female in such cross, the male is the other species in the pair. In the example below, the first row (excluding the header) contains the data on the female Allonemobius fasciatus x male A. socius cross and the second row for the female A. socius x male A. fasciatus cross.