ABSTRACT
Echinometra mathaei, Stomopneustes variolaris and Diadema savignyi are the most common of the ten species of regular echinoids found on the South African east coast. This comparative study assesses the relative allocation to maintenance (defence), growth and reproduction made by the three species. The patterns of allocation were related to the habitat occupied by each species in order to identify the selective forces which might have shaped the observed life histories.
