Exposure to metabolites altered ghost shrimp behavior and reduced mortality.

, or , is a waterborne, pathogenic chytrid fungus implicated in the decline and extinction of hundreds of amphibian species worldwide. can infect multiple taxa, causing disease in susceptible species associated with epidermal degradation, lethargy, weight loss, gill damage, and disruption of osmoregulation and cardiac dysfunction, ultimately leading to mortality in many instances. produces water soluble chemicals ( metabolites) that, while implicated in infection and -related pathology, have also been shown to have prophylactic effects for amphibians. This study examined the impact of metabolite exposure on critical non-target freshwater invertebrates to better understand how metabolites might impact non-target species if used as a prophylaxis in the field. We examined the effects of metabolites on the freshwater species, , or ghost shrimp, focusing specifically on the effects on behavior, cardiac function, and mortality. Shrimp were randomly split into two treatment groups and on day 4, they were dosed with 1 ml of either an artificial spring water (ASW) control or metabolite treatment. We found that ghost shrimp exposed to metabolites experienced decreased heart rate, reduced threat response behaviors, and reduced mortality, when compared to those exposed to an ASW control. Our findings suggest that exposure to the metabolites may actually provide some benefits to ghost shrimp as it decreased mortality compared to controls. While more research is needed to understand if there are indirect impacts of the metabolites associated with the behavioral and cardiac changes, this research highlights that exposure to metabolites does not appear to be detrimental to these critical, keystone freshwater invertebrates. This is particularly important given that metabolites may be used prophylactically in the field, which may lead to non-target organism exposure.