Effect of microplastics and watering regimes on a plant-soil system: Data on behavioural responses of an insect herbivore

Gabriele Rondoni; Elena Chierici; Alberto Agnelli; Eric Conti

doi:10.1016/j.dib.2021.107297

Effect of microplastics and watering regimes on a plant-soil system: Data on behavioural responses of an insect herbivore

Data Brief. 2021 Aug 14:38:107297. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2021.107297. eCollection 2021 Oct.

Authors

Gabriele Rondoni¹, Elena Chierici¹, Alberto Agnelli^{1

2}, Eric Conti¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agricultural Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia, Borgo XX giugno, 74, Perugia 06121, Italy.
² Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano, 10, Sesto Fiorentino, 50019, Italy.

Abstract

The data presented here are related to the article titled "Microplastics alter behavioural responses of an insect herbivore to a plant-soil system" by Rondoni, G., Chierici, E., Agnelli, A., Conti, E. (2021). The data describe the changes in the attractiveness of a plant-soil system towards females of a herbivorous fungus gnat (Diptera: Sciaridae) when exposed to different combinations of the following treatments: (1) low or high plant (lentil)-soil watering regime; (2) absence (0%) or presence (5%) of HDPE microplastics in soil; (3) 1-day or 7-day duration of HDPE presence; (4) addition of fungus mycelium to the plant-soil system. We report data of female behaviour, i.e. the residence time in choice vs. no-choice sector of one-way olfactometers using a multiple olfactometer device.

Keywords: Behaviour; Fungus gnat; High-density polyethylene; Olfactometer; Sciaridae; Watering regime.