show Abstracthide AbstractThe tropical sea cucumber Holothuria edulis is widely distributed and plays an important role in benthic ecosystems, but there is a lack of detailed research on food selection and substrate adaptation in specific habitats. In this paper, a one-month field study on H. edulis was conducted to reveal the food-habitat relation and the adaptation process to harsh sea conditions, using in situ mesocosm method with three single habitat type treatments (sandy substrate, broken coral branches substrate and reef substrate).