Data from: Onset of sensory function and embryonic discrimination of ecologically relevant cues in fish
Data files
Jul 15, 2026 version files 73.82 KB
-
Development.csv
1.18 KB
-
Hatching.csv
566 B
-
Olfactory_Stimuli.csv
59.82 KB
-
Open_Field.csv
5.48 KB
-
README.md
4.71 KB
-
Refugium.csv
2.08 KB
Abstract
Embryos of oviparous species use a variety of sensory modalities to perceive and respond to environmental cues. However, the timing and mechanisms by which prenatal sensory experiences are acquired, encoded, and translated into lasting behavioral outcomes remain poorly understood. Here we identified the developmental window of the onset of behavioral responses to olfactory cues in a teleost model of embryonic behavioral development, the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas), and tested the hypothesis that embryos are sensitive to differences in the information content of cues indicative of predation on eggs vs free-swimming conspecifics. Assays conducted at regular intervals during embryogenesis showed that a behavioral response to olfactory cues emerges well before hatching, but that individuals respond most strongly to cues that indicate egg threat. Embryonic exposure to olfactory cues indicative of predation did not significantly alter the timing of emergence from the egg or larval behavior after hatching, but individuals reared in the presence of olfactory cues from injured conspecifics tended to hatch at an earlier stage of development. Our findings suggest that the timing of cue exposure relative to sensory development during embryogenesis may be an important factor contributing to behavioral plasticity in oviparous animals.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.kh18932m4
Description of the data and file structure
Files and variables
File: Development.csv
Description: Size and stage of development at hatching of embryos that underwent embryogenesis with daily exposure to olfactory cues from injured adult conspecifics, injured conspecific 5-day-old embryos, or a clean water control
Variables
- ClutchID: Clutch identifier
- Compound: Type of olfactory cue the embryo was exposed to during development (egg, adult, control)
- Length(mm): Total length of the individual in millimeters
- Score: Total development score at hatching based on nine morphological traits, with lower numbers representing less-developed individuals and higher numbers representing more-developed individuals
- Development: Assignment of individuals at hatching to one of three different categories of development based on total development score (SU = severely underdeveloped [ score of 0-2]; U = underdeveloped [score 3-6]; D = developed [score of 7 or more])
File: Hatching.csv
Description: Hatching data for embryos that underwent embryogenesis with daily exposure to olfactory cues from injured adult conspecifics, injured conspecific 5-day-old embryos, or a clean water control
Variables
- ClutchID: Clutch identifier
- Compound: Type of olfactory cue the embryo was exposed to during development (egg, adult, control)
- DaysToFirstHatch: Number of days from the time the clutch was laid to the first evidence of spontaneous hatching in the clutch (in days)
- HatchDuration: Duration elapsed from the first evidence of spontaneous hatching until approximately 90% of the eggs had hatched (in days)
File: Open_Field.csv
Description: Swimming behavior of fathead minnow larvae in an open-field trial, after daily embryonic exposure to olfactory cues from injured adult conspecifics, injured conspecific 5-day-old embryos, or a clean water control.
Variables
- ID: Clutch identifier
- Treatment: Type of olfactory cue the embryo was exposed to during development (EggQ=injured conspecific embryos; AdultQ=injured adult conspecifics, Control=clean water)
- Total_distance_mm: Total distance moved (in mm) by an individual during the trial
- Center_frequency: Number of times the focal individual entered the center zone of the arena
- Center_duration_ms: Total amount of time (in ms) an individual spent in the center zone of the arena
- Center_latency_ms: Time elapsed from the beginning the trial (in ms) until the first entry to the center zone of an arena. A cell entry of 'NA' indicates that the individual did not enter the center zone during the trial
- Max_latency_ms: Time elapsed from the beginning the trial (in ms) until the first entry to the center zone of an arena. In this column, individuals that did not enter the center zone during the trial were assigned the max possible time of 120000 ms.
File: Olfactory_Stimuli.csv
Description: Activity data of fathead minnow embryos before and after being exposed to olfactory stimuli in a time-series experiment
Variables
- ClutchID: Clutch identifier
- Compound: Type of olfactory cue presented to the embryo during the trial (EggQ=injured conspecific embryos; AdultQ=injured adult conspecifics, PredatorQ=water containing sunfish metabolites)
- Time.Point: The age (in hours post-fertilization) of the embryo
- BeforeAfter: Identifies whether data were recorded before or after the administration of the stimulus
- Burst.Count: Number of locomotor bursts (twitches and rolls within the chorion) an embryo performed during a 1-minute trial
File: Refugium.csv
Description: Data on refugium use of fathead minnow larvae after daily embryonic exposure to olfactory cues from injured adult conspecifics, injured conspecific 5-day-old embryos, or a clean water control.
Variables
- ID: Clutch identifier
- Treatment: Type of olfactory cue the embryo was exposed to during development (EggQ=injured conspecific embryos; AdultQ=injured adult conspecifics, Control=clean water)
- Emergence_s: Duration elapsed (in seconds) from the time that the refugium door was lifted to the time that the focal individual emerged from the refugium into the open arena.
Code/software
The data are available as CSV files, which may be viewed using a variety of freely available software and text applications.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- NA
Data was derived from the following sources:
- NA
Clutches were collected and permitted to develop until hatching. In one experiment, embryos were tested at 24-h intervals for evidence of a behavioral response to olfactory stimuli. In a second experiment, embryos were reared with daily exposure to olfactory cues from injured adult or embryo conspecifics, or a clean water control. Changes in the earliest onset of hatching, developmental stage at hatching, and behavior after hatching were assessed.