Abstract

A predator’s signal to prey can induce changes in the prey’s behavior or physiology (“non-consumptive effects”). We exposed male and female Acanthina monodon snails to exudate from the predatory sea star Meyenaster gelatinosus and investigated metabolic changes before, during, and after reproduction. We also documented the respiratory response of juveniles and pre-hatching stages. In all cases, prey stressed by predator exudate showed a decrease in oxygen consumption rate (OCR). Females stressed during and after oviposition exhibited a greater reduction in OCR (close to 85% of pre-stress levels) than those exposed during pre-oviposition. Males showed a smaller respiratory response to predator exudate. Encapsulated individuals also displayed a smaller response, with a 32% decrease in OCR. Females stressed during oviposition interrupted the process and did not resume it, confirming that non-consumption effects impact reproduction. The physiological implications that such non-lethal exposure to predator exudate will have at the individual level may in turn impact the demography of the species, particularly those species with encapsulated direct development, whose offspring have limited dispersal capacity. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.