biostudies-literatureSun JFund of Key Laboratory of South China Sea Fishery Resources Exploitation & Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. P. R. ChinaLiaoning Province “Xingliao Talents Plan” project3971https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC8913812biostudies-literatureUnknown12(1)Sea urchins and sea cucumbers are mutually beneficial organisms in kelp ecosystem. As herbivores, sea urchins process kelp through feeding and egestion, providing inaccessible food for benthic consumers such as sea cucumbers. Sea urchins in turn profit from the sediment cleaned by sea cucumbers. However, behavioral interactions between them remain poorly understood, which greatly hampers our understanding on the relationship between ecologically important benthic species in marine ecosystems and the regulating mechanism. The present study investigated behavioral interactions between sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius and sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in laboratory conditions. We revealed that the presence of sea urchins caused significant higher speed movement of A. japonicuScientific reportsMacroalgae and interspecific alarm cues regulate behavioral interactions between sea urchins and sea cucumbers.PMC8913812XLYC2002107FREU2020-02Li XZhao CTian RZhao ZChang YSun JYu YfalseMacroalgae and interspecific alarm cues regulate behavioral interactions between sea urchins and sea cucumbers.Sea urchins and sea cucumbers are mutually beneficial organisms in kelp ecosystem. As herbivores, sea urchins process kelp through feeding and egestion, providing inaccessible food for benthic consumers such as sea cucumbers. Sea urchins in turn profit from the sediment cleaned by sea cucumbers. However, behavioral interactions between them remain poorly understood, which greatly hampers our understanding on the relationship between ecologically important benthic species in marine ecosystems and the regulating mechanism. The present study investigated behavioral interactions between sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius and sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in laboratory conditions. We revealed that the presence of sea urchins caused significant higher speed movement of A. japonicu2022-01-01T00:00:00Z2022 Mar2025-04-19T09:24:05.014Z2025-04-19T09:24:05.014ZS-EPMC89138123527327810.1038/s41598-022-07889-8