Data from: Context-dependent effects of Y chromosome and mitochondrial haplotype on male locomotive activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Some regions of the genome exhibit sexual asymmetries in inheritance, and are thus subjected to sex-biased evolutionary forces. Maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) enables mtDNA mutations harmful to males, but not females, to accumulate. In the face of male-harmful mtDNA mutation accumulation, selection will favour the evolution of compensatory modifiers in the nuclear genome that offset fitness losses to males. The Y chromosome is a candidate to host these modifiers, because it is paternally-inherited, known to harbour an abundance of genetic variation for male fertility, and therefore likely to be under strong selection to uphold male viability. Here, we test for inter-genomic interactions involving mtDNA and Y chromosomes in male Drosophila melanogaster. Specifically, we examine effects of each of these genomic regions, and their interaction, on locomotive activity, across different environmental contexts – both dietary and social. We found that both the mtDNA haplotype and Y chromosome haplotype affected activity in males assayed in an environment perceived as social. These effects, however, were not evident in males assayed in perceived solitary environments, and neither social nor solitary treatments revealed evidence for inter-genomic interactions. Finally, the magnitude and direction of these genetic effects was further contingent on the diet treatment of the males. Thus, genes within the mtDNA and Y chromosome are involved in genotype-by-environment interactions. These interactions might contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation within these asymmetrically-inherited gene regions and complicate the dynamics of genetic interactions between the mtDNA and the Y chromosome.Context-dependent effects of Y chromosome and mitochondrial haplotype on male locomotive activity in Drosophila melanogasterID: Identifies Mito_Y_Dup_Diet where C=yeast and S=agar. Sample and Run: ID is split up into Sample and Run. Plate: Two different plates were used in the experiment. Hour: Broadly defines the time the assay was run. MinsAftLight: More specifically defines the time the assay was run. SocialEnviro: Describes the two different social contexts the assays were run under. Block: Describes the different sets of grandparental flies which the focal males descended from. ParentalAge: Describes the age of the parents when laying the eggs that grew into the focal males. Distmm: Distance travelled by flies in the 30 mins assay, in mm. emptyTime: Time when the software did not track the movement of the flies (checking the video images manually suggested this was because the flies were stationary). Mt = Mitochondrial haplotype, D = Dahomey, M = Madang. Y = Y chromosome genotype. Dup: The lines were maintained as two duplicates of each Mt and Y substitution. Diet: Focal males were assigned to one of two diets after emergence as adults - standard yeast diet (nutrient-rich) and a diet of just agar with no added nutrients (nutrient-deprived). Block.ParentalAge: Parental age nested within block. MtYDup: Identifies the MitoYDuplicate combination.MitoYEnvironment_ActivityData.tx