Predator-induced selection on urchin activity level depends on urchin body size.

Temporally consistent individual differences in behavior impact many ecological processes. We simultaneously examined the effects of individual variation in prey activity level, covering behavior, and body size on prey survival with predators using an urchin-lobster system. Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that slow-moving purple sea urchins () and urchins who deploy extensive substrate (pebbles and stones) covering behavior will out-survive active urchins that deploy little to no covering behavior when pitted against a predator, the California spiny lobster ().