Data from: Ocean acidification alters the response of intertidal snails to a key sea star predator

Organism-level effects of ocean acidification (OA) are well recognized.
Less understood are OA's consequences for ecological species
interactions. Here, we examine a behaviourally mediated predator–prey
interaction within the rocky intertidal zone of the temperate eastern
Pacific Ocean, using it as a model system to explore OA's capacity to
impair invertebrate anti-predator behaviours more broadly. Our system
involves the iconic sea star predator, Pisaster ochraceus, that elicits
flee responses in numerous gastropod prey. We examine, in particular, the
capacity for OA-associated reductions in pH to alter flight behaviours of
the black turban snail, Tegula funebralis, an often-abundant and
well-studied grazer in the system. We assess interactions between these
species at 16 discrete levels of pH, quantifying the full functional
response of Tegula under present and near-future OA conditions. Results
demonstrate the disruption of snail anti-predator behaviours at low pH,
with decreases in the time individuals spend in refuge locations. We also
show that fluctuations in pH, including those typical of rock pools
inhabited by snails, do not materially change outcomes, implying little
capacity for episodically benign pH conditions to aid behavioural
recovery. Together, these findings suggest a strong potential for OA to
induce cascading community-level shifts within this long-studied
ecosystem.