Investigating the Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids effect on seabird cognition using a new proxy

Overview This dataset is associated to the manuscript "Investigating the Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids effect on seabird cognition using a new proxy". The overarching aim of the study was to investigate whether the PUFA profile measured in a single egg yolk could serve as a reliable proxy for clutch-level PUFA availability during embryonic brain development, ultimately influencing embryonic cognitive development. As proof of concept, we applied this proxy to investigate the relationship between behavioral inhibition and maternal PUFAs in herring gull chicks (Larus argentatus). Brief method For each collected clutch, the three eggs were ranked from first-laid to last-laid (A to C, respectively) based on egg dimensions and volume. A and B eggs were incubated and the hatchlings were subsequently tested twice in a stop-change task. Yolks from C eggs were extracted to analyse their fatty acid profiles. Fatty acids from egg yolk were converted to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) by direct transesterification and analyzed using gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Fatty acid peaks were identified using certified methyl ester standards and quantified using C19:0 as an internal standard. Further methodological details are available in the associated manuscript (submitted) and in the associated dataset containing complete fatty acid profiles (available at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20487177) Funding This study was funded by the Methusalem Project 01M00221 (Ghent University; https://www.ugent.be/en/research/funding/bof/methusalem), an ERC Consolidator Grant (European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, grant agreement no. 769595), a FWO (Flemish Research Foundation) PhD Fellowship grant (No. 11P3G24N), and a FWO (Flemish Research Foundation) PhD Fellowship grant (No. 11F0823N, 11F0825N). Variable description The dataset comprises 12 variables: year – Year in which eggs were collected and chicks were tested (2022, 2023, or 2024) clutchLocation – Nest location where the eggs were collected: BL (Blankenberge), BR (Bredene), DH (De Haan), KN (Knokke), KS (Koksijde), ZB (Zeebrugge) clutchID – Unique clutch identifier chickID – Unique identifier of the chick being tested omega3 – Yolk concentration of total omega 3 (measured in sibling egg C, in mg/100g yolk) omega6 – Yolk concentration of total omega 6 (measured in sibling egg C, in mg/100g yolk) omega6to3 – Yolk ratio of omega 6/omega 3, obtained by dividing the respective concentrations (measured in sibling egg C) EPA – Yolk concentration of EPA (measured in sibling egg C, in mg/100g yolk) ETA – Yolk concentration of ETA (measured in sibling egg C, in mg/100g yolk) DHA – Yolk concentration of DHA (measured in sibling egg C, in mg/100g yolk) trialNb – Number of stop change task trial, either first (1) or second (2) changeLatencySec – Time (s) between stop-signal onset and the start of a continuous trajectory toward the change location that ultimately resulted in the bird reaching that location.