Decayed Wood Advisor

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Table EMC_S.kef-1. Functional redundancy (number of species playing similar ecological roles), listed by category of key ecological function (KEF), of wildlife that are associated with at least one wood decay element (forest snags, down wood, litter, duff, mistletoe broosm/witches brooms, dead parts of live trees, hollow living trees or chimney trees, bark including crevises and fissures, and tree cavities), in the Eastside Mixed Conifer Forest wildlife habitat type and Small/medium trees structural condition class.

Data derived from the Species-Habitat Project (SHP) database of O'Neil et al. (2001). See the SHP database for a list of individual species associated with each KEF, and Marcot and Vander Heyden (2001) for suggestions on using and interpreting such information in land management.

KEF Code KEF DescriptionNumber of species
1.1.1 primary consumer (herbivore) (also see below under Herbivory)
117
1.1.1.1 foliovore (leaf-eater)
14
1.1.1.10 flower/bud/catkin feeder
8
1.1.1.11 aquatic herbivore
1
1.1.1.12 feeds in water on decomposing benthic substrate
1
1.1.1.13 bark/cambium/bole feeder
5
1.1.1.2 spermivore (seed-eater)
71
1.1.1.3 browser (leaf, stem eater)
5
1.1.1.4 grazer (grass, forb eater)
22
1.1.1.5 frugivore (fruit-eater)
47
1.1.1.6 sap feeder
9
1.1.1.7 root feeders
7
1.1.1.9 fungivore (fungus feeder)
44
1.1.2 secondary consumer (primary predator or primary carnivore)
239
1.1.2.1 invertebrate eater
209
1.1.2.1.1 terrestrial invertebrates
200
1.1.2.1.2 aquatic macroinvertebrates
22
1.1.2.1.3 freshwater or marine zooplankton
6
1.1.2.2 vertebrate eater (consumer or predator of herbivorous vertebrates)
92
1.1.2.2.1 piscivorous (fish eater)
10
1.1.2.3 ovivorous (egg eater)
41
1.1.3 tertiary consumer (secondary predator or secondary carnivore)
13
1.1.4 carrion feeder
25
1.1.5 cannibalistic
7
1.2 prey relationships
157
1.2.1 prey for secondary or tertiary consumer (primary or secondary predator)
157
2 aids in physical transfer of substances for nutrient cycling (C,N,P, etc.)
38
3.1 controls or depresses insect population peaks
68
3.10 secondary cavity user
76
3.11 primary burrow excavator (fossorial or underground burrows)
50
3.11.1 creates large burrows (rabbit-sized or larger)
16
3.11.2 creates small burrows (less than rabbit-sized)
34
3.12 uses burrows dug by other species (secondary burrow user)
67
3.13 creates runways (possibly used by other species)
25
3.14 uses runways created by other species)
35
3.15 pirates food from other species
2
3.16 interspecific hybridization
14
3.2 controls terrestrial vertebrate populations (through predation or displacement)
50
3.4 transportation of viable seeds, spores, plants or animals
92
3.4.1 disperses fungi
21
3.4.2 disperses lichens
18
3.4.4 disperses insects and other invertebrates
7
3.4.5 disperses seeds/fruits (through ingestion or caching)
85
3.4.6 disperses vascular plants
7
3.5 creates feeding, roosting, denning, or nesting opportunities for other organisms
11
3.5.1 creates feeding opportunities (other than direct prey relations)
11
3.5.1.1 creates sapwells in trees
5
3.5.2 creates roosting, denning, or nesting opportunities
3
3.6 primary creation of structures (possibly used by other organisms)
28
3.6.1 aerial structures
23
3.6.2 ground structures
9
3.7 user of structures created by other species
37
3.7.1 aerial structures
30
3.7.2 ground structures
4
3.7.3 aquatic structures
4
3.8 nest parasite
3
3.8.2 common interspecific host
3
3.9 primary cavity excavator in snags or live trees
34
4 carrier, transmitter, or reservoir of vertebrate diseases
17
4.1 diseases that affect humans
15
4.3 diseases that affect other wildlife species
2
5 soil relationships
34
5.1 physically affects (improves) soil structure, aeration (typically by digging)
34
6 wood structure relationships (either living or dead wood)
16
6.1 physically fragments down wood
14
6.2 physically fragments standing wood
8
7 water relationships
1
7.2 creates ponds or wetlands through wallowing
1
8 vegetation structure and composition relationships
13
8.1 creates standing dead trees (snags)
5
8.2 herbivory on trees or shrubs that may alter vegetation structure and composition (browsers)
8
8.3 herbivory on grasses or forbs that may alter vegetation structure and composition (grazers)
4