Forest Animals Terms

herbivore

plant eaters (only eat part of the plant

browsers

eat leaves and stems, usually from woody plants

e.g. deer

grazers

feed on low vegetation like grass

e.g. sheep

carnivores

feed on other animals (more/less same as predator)

scavengers

eat animal remains and excrement

e.g. turkey vulture

omnivore

eat both plants and animals

e.g. bear

decomposers

degrade and mineralize plant litter and animal residues

e.g. bacteria, fungi, earthworms, flies

net assimilation rate

rate of amount of food made by plant

secondary metabolism

investment in chemical defense compounds

seed caching

process of storing seeds by animals for future use

e.g. rodents, woodpeckers, jays, nutcrackers (corvids)

masting

all individuals of a population produce a large crop of fruit at the same time

disgorging

spitting out seeds carried in mouth