A large productive plant such as the Joshua tree resembles a focal point for a complex community of wildlife. Some birds nest in the living tree. Others come regularly to feed on resident insects. Discarded limbs or the toppled body of the tree provide homes for the yucca night lizard and termites. Even in death, the plant energy of the Joshua tree is converted by termites to animal energy.
Termites find protection from heat, cold, and drying winds in the decaying fiber.
The yucca night lizard finds the same environmental sanctuary along with its preference for food, termites. Energy continues to flow in the web as an owl or snake feeds on an unwary night lizard. As the Joshua tree continues to decompose, stink-bugs may nibble on the fiber, helping termites consume their home. Eventually all the plant's nutrients and energy have been transformed into another living form or released into the soil for use by other plants. The web is fragile, no stronger than its weakest link, yet it endures.