Live oak is the dominant producer of this community by virtue of its large 

 biomass contribution and the controlling influence it exerts on the internal 

 environment of the system; it regulates soil mosture, light, soil heat, plant 

 detritus, and food and cover for consumer groups. Woody understory species 

 comprise the second largest producer component and increase the competitive 

 forces on the lower strata. The lowest strata, perennial grasses and herbs 

 and hardwood seedlings, account for only a small fraction of the community 

 primary productivity. 



Primary producers regulate the flow of energy to the successive consumer 

 levels and also satisfy their many diverse cover requirements. In this community 

 the primary consumers consist of four generalized categories: hoofed mammals - 

 for example white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), javelina ( Pecari tajacu ), 

 and feral swine ( Sus scrofa ); small mammals, such as rabbits, (S ylvilaqus spp. ) 

 and rodents; granivorous song- and gamebirds, such as the turkey ( Mel eagris 

 qallopavo ), bobwhite ( Colinus virginianus ), and sparrows; and insects. That 

 the community dominant plays an important role in the transfer of energy to 

 consumer groups is demonstrated by an analysis of the food habits of the 

 Aransas Refuge deer population: 76 percent of the annual diet consists of live 

 oak products (White, 1973). Other primary consumers equally dependent on live 

 oak are the fox squirrel ( Sciurus niqer ), wild turkey, and several woodpecker 

 species. The predatory mammals (bobcat ( Lynx rufus ), raccoon ( Procyon lotor ), 

 and grey fox ( Urocyon cinereoarqenteus ), for example); raptors such as the 

 Cooper's hawk ( Accipite r cooperii ) and great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ), 

 and the insectivorous songbirds are three categories of secondary consumers 

 that feed on the small woodland mammals and/or insect groups. The woodland 

 community also satisfies their resting and shelter requirements. 



Flows between system components include the uptake of light, soil water, 

 soil oxygen, and nutrients by the producers and transfer of energy from pro- 

 ducers to consumers through the food chain. System detritus is derived from 

 the producers, primarily the dominant and subdominant components. Consumer 

 supplements to the detritus storage are comparatively minor. 



System outputs include losses to the abiotic system through groundwater 

 outflows. 



The maritime woodland is expanding throughout many coastal grassland areas 

 as a result of man's land management activities. Live oak encroachment is en- 

 hanced when grasslands are weakened by intensive grazing and infrequent fires 

 (Daubenmirej^igeS). 



The primary value of the maritime woodland is that it helps stablilize a 

 geologically unstable system. Direct benefits include (1) protection of loose 

 sandy soils from wind erosion, (2) accumulation and storage of fresh water, 

 (3) mineral ion filtration, and (4) production and development of organic soils 

 (Bellis and Proffitt, 1976), although profile development is not extensive 

 (Johnson et al. , 1974). 



26 



