| food chain n. 1. A succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and in turn is preyed upon by a higher member. 2. Informal A competitive hierarchy: "was reduced to character roles while struggling to defend his position in the Hollywood food chain" (Kathryn Shattuck). |   aquatic food chain diagram |
food chain
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Biology) Ecology a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each species is the food of the next member of the chain
2. (Sociology) Informal the hierarchy in an organization or society
food chain (f d) The sequence of the transfer of food energy from one organism to another in an ecological community. A food chain begins with a producer, usually a green plant or alga that creates its own food through photosynthesis. In the typical predatory food chain, producers are eaten by primary consumers (herbivores) which are eaten by secondary consumers (carnivores), some of which may in turn be eaten by tertiary consumers (the top carnivore in the chain).  Many species of animals in an ecological community feed on both plants and animals and thus play multiple roles in the chain. Parasites feed on living tissues, generally without killing their hosts, and may themselves be hosts to smaller parasites. In addition, organisms that die without being eaten are consumed by detritivores, some of which serve as prey for other consumers. The complex system of interrelated food chains in an environment is known as a food web. See more at trophic level. |  examples of terrestrial (left) and aquatic (right) food chains |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  food chain - (ecology) a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another memberbionomics, environmental science, ecology - the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment organic phenomenon - (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals food cycle, food web - (ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains |
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