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A predictive framework of community and ecosystem dynamics that applies across systems has remained elusive, in part because non‐consumptive predator effects are often ignored. Further, it is unclear how much individual‐level detail community models must include.

Previous studies of short‐lived species suggest that state‐dependent decisions add little to our understanding of community dynamics. Body condition‐dependent decisions made by long‐lived herbivores under risk of predation, however, might have greater community‐level effects. This possibility remains largely unexplored, especially in marine environments.

In the relatively pristine seagrass community of Shark Bay, Australia, we found that herbivorous green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas Linnaeus, 1758) threatened by tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier Peron and LeSueur, 1822) select microhabitats in a condition‐dependent manner …