{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.consumer","code":"thing-q72638","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q72638/","name":"consumer","alternateNames":["Bacterivore","zoophage","Microbivory","oniscophage","ovivorous","ophiophage"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.LIV"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"In ecology, an organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms or organic matter, a heterotroph, classified by trophic level as primary, secondary or tertiary consumers and by diet as, for example, bacterivores and microbivores that eat microbes, zoophages that eat animals, ovivores that eat eggs, ophiophages that eat snakes and oniscophages that eat woodlice; the ecological sense is distinct from the economic consumer who buys goods.","purpose":"Let an agent explain consumers in ecology and their classification, relay trophic levels and feeding types from ecological sources, describe the specialised diet terms the registry aliases name, and distinguish ecological consumers from producers, decomposers and the economic sense of consumer.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Heterotrophic","Trophic levels","Diet specialisation","Distinct from economic sense"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a consumer is in ecology.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a consumer in ecology, and how does it differ from producers, decomposers and the economic consumer?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about ecology or economics?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"levels","name":"Levels","description":"Trophic levels.","findings":[{"id":"levels-finding","name":"Levels","description":"Levels.","questions":[{"text":"What are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific level?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"diets","name":"Diets","description":"Diet terms.","layers":[{"id":"terms","name":"Terms","description":"Terms.","findings":[{"id":"terms-finding","name":"Terms","description":"Terms.","questions":[{"text":"What do bacterivore, microbivore, zoophage, ovivore, ophiophage and oniscophage mean?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"examples","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","findings":[{"id":"examples-finding","name":"Examples","description":"Examples.","questions":[{"text":"Which organisms exemplify each specialised diet?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"ecology","name":"Ecology","description":"Food webs.","layers":[{"id":"webs","name":"Webs","description":"Food webs.","findings":[{"id":"webs-finding","name":"Webs","description":"Webs.","questions":[{"text":"How do consumers fit into food chains and webs, and how does energy flow?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits food web?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"dynamics","name":"Dynamics","description":"Dynamics.","findings":[{"id":"dynamics-finding","name":"Dynamics","description":"Dynamics.","questions":[{"text":"How do consumer populations affect ecosystems?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits trophic cascade?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Other senses.","layers":[{"id":"economics","name":"Economics","description":"Economics.","findings":[{"id":"economics-finding","name":"Economics","description":"Economics.","questions":[{"text":"What is a consumer in economics, and where is it covered?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits consumer (economics)?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did the trophic concept develop from Elton and Lindeman?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of ecology?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["explain the role","relay trophic classification","describe diet terms","distinguish related concepts"],"mustNot":[],"requiresHuman":[]},"ethics":{"considerations":[],"affectedParties":[]},"owners":{"steward":"","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q159344","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"heterotroph","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"producer","type":"related","note":"an autotroph"},{"target":"trophic level","type":"related","note":"in a food web"},{"target":"consumer (economics)","type":"related","note":"a buyer of goods"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.consumer","Wikidata: Q72638 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q72638)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["trophic levels: primary, secondary, tertiary list","energy transfer between levels: about 10 percent - rule of thumb","example ophiophage: king cobra note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Organism feeding on others","Bacterivore, microbivore, zoophage, ovivore, ophiophage, oniscophage","Producers make food; decomposers break down dead matter; economic consumers buy goods","Not a visible object; any animal or other heterotroph."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the role","relay trophic classification","describe diet terms","distinguish related concepts"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing the ecological and economic senses","Treating trophic levels as rigid","Registry aliases listing rare diet terms"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No regulation"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Not applicable; an ecological role.","primary consumers or herbivores","secondary and tertiary consumers","omnivores","specialised feeders such as bacterivores, ovivores, ophiophages and oniscophages","microbivores"]}},"sources":[],"openQuestions":["Should the diet terms be a single sub-entry?","How should ecological sources be linked?","The registry entry has merged aliases naming specialised diets; should they be grouped?","Which entry fits the specific level?","Which entry fits food web?","Which entry fits trophic cascade?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q72638/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q72638/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T14:57:11Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"derived","ethics":"missing","owners":"missing","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"missing"},"notes":{"agentConduct":"Affordances listed as what may be done; prohibitions collected from the text.","sources":"Written from model knowledge without web access; claims are unverified."},"score":0.794}}