Sea urchins tend to be important members of their ecosystems by grazing on other organisms and stabilizing populations.

This is thought to be from the grazing of sea urchins which regulate the lower limit of beds of brown algae, potentially bolstering species diversity.

[2] Echinus sea urchins suspension feed by using ciliary band that extends across the body of the pluteus, removing particles from any surface.

Echinus sea urchins are very sensitive to touch, any light, and the presence of chemicals, which they can detect in around their pharynx, spines, and pedicellaria.

[7] Two types of neurons have been found in the central nervous system of these species from a study of, "Neurobiology of Echinodermata", which contain acetylcholine and dopamine/ noradrenaline.

This method, called sclerochronology, was found to be unreliable because development of growth lines can be greatly affected by stress, and is not consistent among different urchin size-classes and ossicle types.