Source: Marcot, B. G., M. A. Castellano, J. A. Christy, L. K.
Croft, J. F. Lehmkuhl, R. H. Naney, K. Nelson, C. G. Niwa, R. E. Rosentreter,
R. E. Sandquist, B. C. Wales, and E. Zieroth. 1997. Terrestrial ecology
assessment. Pp. 1497-1713 in: T. M. Quigley and S. J. Arbelbide,
ed. An assessment of ecosystem components in the interior Columbia Basin
and portions of the Klamath and Great Basins. Volume III. USDA
Forest Service General Technical Report PNW-GTR-405. USDA Forest Service
Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR.
1 Trophic relations
1.1 primary producer (chlorophyllous
vascular plants)
1.1.1
autotrophic (fully independent chlorophyllous
plants)
1.1.2
hemiparasitic (chlorophyllous plants that also
partially derive nutrients via attachment to
other chlorophyllous plants)
1.2 heterotrophic consumer
1.2.1
primary consumer (herbivore) (also see below
under Herbivory)
1.2.1.1 foliovore (leaf-eater)
1.2.1.2 spermivore (seed-eater)
1.2.1.3 browser
1.2.1.4 grazer
1.2.1.5 frugivore (fruit eater)
1.2.1.6 sap feeding (sucking insects)
1.2.1.7 root feeders (invertebrates)
1.2.1.8 sequesters plant metabolites
1.2.2
secondary consumer (primary predator or
carnivore)
1.2.2.1 consumer or predator of invertebrates,
potentially including insects
(insectivorous)
1.2.2.2 consumer or predator of vertebrates
(other species than itself)
1.2.3
tertiary consumer (secondary predator or
carnivore)
1.2.3.1 consumer of soil microorganisms
1.2.4
largely omnivorous (plants and animals consumed)
1.2.5
carrion feeder
1.2.6
cannibalistic
1.2.7
coprophagous (feeds on fecal material)
1.2.8
aquatic herbivore (invertebrates)
1.2.9
feeds in water on algae, ooze, and plankton
(invertebrates)
1.3 achlorophyllous vascular plants
(see 1.9 below for
nonvasculars)
1.3.1
mycotrophic (indirectly parasitic, non-green
plants that derive nutrients from mycorrhizal
fungi that are also associated with a
chlorophyllous species that serves as the
indirect host)
1.3.2
saprophytic (derive nutrients from decaying
organic matter via mycorrhizal fungi)
1.3.3
parasitic (derive nutrients via direct
attachment to chlorophyllous plants)
1.3.3.1 root parasites
1.3.3.2 stem parasites
1.4 detritovore (feeds directly
on dead organic material)
1.5 decomposer (feeds on byproducts
of decaying organic
material)
1.6 commutator (chewing insects,
typically on wood or
vegetation)
1.7 forage or prey relations
1.7.1
forage for animals
1.7.2
prey for secondary or tertiary consumer (primary
or secondary predator or carnivore)
1.7.3
carrion source
1.7.4
forage for invertebrates
1.8 major biomass
1.9 achlorophyllous non-vascular
plants (see 1.3 above for
vasculars)
1.9.1
mycorrhizal
1.9.2
saprophytic
1.9.3
parasitic
1.9.4
decomposer
1.10 moss feeder (invertebrates)
2 Herbivory
2.1 ungulate herbivory (may influence
rate or trajectory of
vegetation
succession and presence of plant species)
2.1.1
herbivory on tree or shrub species (browsers)
2.1.2
herbivory on grasses or forbs (grazers)
2.2 insect herbivory (may influence
rate or trajectory of
vegetation
succession or presence of plant species)
2.2.1
defoliators
2.2.2
bark beetles
2.2.3
tree bole feeders
3 Nutrient cycling relations (see category 6,
below, for
nutrient cycling relationships in soil)
3.1 aids in physical transfer of
substances for nutrient
cycling
(Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosporus, other)
3.2 nitrogen relations
3.2.1
N-fixer
3.2.2
N-immobilizer
3.2.3
source for N mineralization
3.3 carbon relations
3.3.1
sequestration of atmospheric carbon
4 Interspecies relationships
4.1 insect control
4.2 ungulate or other vertebrate
population control
4.3 pollination vector
4.4 transportation of seed, spores,
plant or animal
disseminules
4.4.1
disperses fungi
4.4.2
disperses lichens
4.4.3
disperses bryophtes, including mosses
4.4.4
disperses insects
4.4.5
disperses seeds/fruits
4.4.6
disperses plants
4.5 commensal or mutualist with
other species
4.6 provides substrates or cover
for animals
4.6.1
nesting or breeding substrate (for example,
nesting material)
4.6.2
thermal, hiding cover, loafing or den site
4.6.3
provides microhabitat (as for invertebrates)
4.6.3.1 aquatic or riparian environments
4.6.3.2 terrestrial environments
4.6.3.3 canopy environments
4.6.3.4 tree bole environments
4.6.4
creates "sap wells" in trees
4.7 nest parasite
4.7.1
cowbird
4.7.2
host for nest parasitism
4.8 primary cavity excavator in
snags or live trees
4.9 primary burrow excavator (fossorial)
4.9.1
creates large burrows (rabbit, badger size)
4.9.2
creates small burrows (smaller than rabbit size)
4.10 competitor
4.11 uses burrows dug by other species
4.12 secondary cavity nester
4.13 parasite (invertebrates)
5 Disease, pathogen, and parasite relations
5.1 carrier, transmitter, or reservoir
of vertebrate
diseases
(including rabies)
5.2 acts as pathogen or disease
5.3 parasite carrier or transmitter
5.4 carrier, transmitter, or reservoir
of plant diseases
(invertebrates)
5.5 activity increases host susceptibility
to plant
diseases
(invertebrates)
6 Soil relations
6.1 physically affects (improves)
soil structure, aeration
(typically
by digging)
6.2 aids general turnover of soil
nutrients and layers
6.3 aids N retention or uptake in
soil
6.4 aids soil stabilization
6.5 aids rock weathering
6.6 detoxifies xenobiotics (invertebrates)
6.7 metal accumulator (sequesters
heavy metals)
6.8 soil (invertebrate) organisms
which influence rate or
trajectory
of vegetation succession and presence of
plant species
7 Wood relations
7.1 physically breaks down wood
7.1.1
large logs
7.1.2
smaller wood pieces
7.2 chemically breaks down wood
8 Water relationships
8.1 impounds water (for example,
beavers)
8.2 bioindicator of water quality
8.3 hydrologic buffer
8.4 improves water quality
8.5 contributes to short-term increase
in stream flow
(invertebrates)
9 Weather, climate, insolation relations
9.1 affects albedo (as of soil,
rock, or soil)
10 Vegetation structure and composition relations
10.1 creates canopy gap openings (tree
death)
(invertebrates)
10.2 creates standing dead trees (snags)
(invertebrates)