Interaction → Get
AI-generatedOverview
This node integrates with the Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI) API to retrieve ecological interaction data between species. Specifically, for the "Interaction" resource and "Get" operation, it fetches interactions involving a specified source taxon and interaction type, optionally filtered by a target taxon. This is useful for researchers, ecologists, or anyone interested in understanding species relationships such as predation, parasitism, pollination, and other ecological connections.
Practical examples include:
- Finding all species that a mosquito species (e.g., Aedes aegypti) preys on.
- Retrieving all parasites associated with a particular host species.
- Exploring mutualistic relationships like pollinators of a plant species.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Source Taxon Name | The scientific name of the source taxon (species) involved in the interaction, e.g., "Aedes aegypti". |
| Interaction Type | The type of ecological interaction to query. Options include: Eats, Eaten By, Preys On, Preyed Upon By, Kills, Killed By, Parasite Of, Has Parasite, Endoparasite Of, Has Endoparasite, Ectoparasite Of, Has Ectoparasite, Parasitoid Of, Has Parasitoid, Host Of, Has Host, Pollinates, Pollinated By, Pathogen Of, Has Pathogen, Vector Of, Has Vector, Dispersal Vector Of, Has Dispersal Vector, Has Habitat, Creates Habitat For, Epiphyte Of, Has Epiphyte, Provides Nutrients For, Acquires Nutrients From, Symbiont Of, Mutualist Of, Commensalist Of, Flowers Visited By, Visits Flowers Of, Ecologically Related To, Co-Occurs With, Co-Roosts With, Interacts With, Adjacent To. Default is "Eats". |
| Target Taxon Name | (Optional) The scientific name of the target taxon (species) involved in the interaction, e.g., "Homo sapiens". |
| Additional Fields | Collection of optional parameters: • Output Format: Choose the format of the output data — Csv, Dot, or Json (default). • Include Observations: Boolean flag to include observational data if available. |
Output
The node outputs an array of JSON objects representing the interaction data retrieved from the GloBI API. The structure depends on the selected output format but defaults to JSON containing detailed information about the interactions matching the query parameters.
If the user selects CSV or DOT formats, the output will be the corresponding serialized data representation of the interactions.
No binary data output is produced by this node.
Dependencies
- Requires internet access to call the public GloBI API at
https://api.globalbioticinteractions.org. - No authentication or API keys are required.
- Uses standard HTTP GET requests with JSON response expected.
- No additional n8n credentials or environment variables needed.
Troubleshooting
- Empty results: If no interactions are returned, verify that the source taxon name and interaction type are correct and exist in the GloBI database. Also, check if the optional target taxon is too restrictive.
- Invalid taxon names: Ensure taxon names are spelled correctly and use scientific names where possible.
- API errors or timeouts: Network issues or API downtime can cause request failures. Retry after some time or check network connectivity.
- Unsupported output format: Selecting an unsupported output format may cause unexpected results; use one of the provided options (json, csv, dot).
- Malformed URL or parameters: The node encodes parameters properly, but manual input errors might cause issues. Avoid special characters or ensure proper encoding.