Biosynthesis of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in a generalist seabird

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid (n3-LCPUFA), is integral to vertebrates’ brains. Mammals require continuous DHA replenishment to maintain cerebral function and structural integrity; evidence points towards birds having similar requirements. Vertebrates maintain their DHA levels by endogenously synthesizing DHA using alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; omega-3 precursor) or by consuming preformed DHA and other n3-LCPUFAs. Given n3-LCPUFAs’ abundance in marine organisms, marine predators are presumed incapable of biosynthesizing n3-LCPUFAs; this assumption remains seldom tested. Alarmingly, many marine predators, including generalist seabirds, now forage on anthropogenic resources deficient in n3-LCPUFAs. Whether they can offset such deficiency by bioconverting ALA into DHA remains unknown. Here, we tested whether ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis), a generalist seabird now thriving in cities, can biosynthesize n3-LCPUFAs, including DHA, from ALA. We brought into ca..., , , # Data from: Biosynthesis of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in a generalist seabird Metadata for dataset file: Lamarre&Wilson_2025_RBGU ALA convert Accompanying Rcode file using this dataset: Lamarre_Wilson_2025_ALA_convert.R Data collected by: Jessika Lamarre and David Wilson Author Information A. Corresponding author Name: Jessika Lamarre Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) B. Co-author Name: David Wilson Institution: Memorial University of Newfoundland Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail]) Format: file format is comma separated (.csv) Data: | Variable | Description | | :----------- | :---------------------------------...,