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food chain

a sequence showing what eats what in an ecosystem

In Science & Nature

In more detail

1. (noun) a series of living things in which each one eats the one below it; for example, plants are eaten by insects, insects are eaten by birds, and birds are eaten by larger animals

2. (noun) the system of organizations involved in producing and selling food, from farmers and manufacturers to shops and restaurants

Examples

• 1. In the food chain, grass is eaten by rabbits, which are eaten by foxes.
• 2. The company controls a large part of the food chain, from growing crops to selling them in stores.

How to use food chain

Food chain has two distinct uses. In ecology, it describes the linear transfer of energy through organisms at different trophic levels, where each organism consumes the one below it. In commerce and agriculture, it refers to the entire system from production through distribution to consumer, emphasizing economic and organizational relationships rather than predator-prey dynamics. The ecological sense is more common in scientific and educational contexts, while the commercial sense appears in business, policy, and food security discussions.

Common phrases

• top of the food chain
• bottom of the food chain
• food chain disruption
• breaking the food chain
• climbing the food chain

Synonyms

food web · food pyramid · trophic chain · supply chain

Word family

food chains (plural)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse food chain (a simplified linear sequence) with food web (a more complex, interconnected network of multiple overlapping food chains). Not all educational contexts maintain this distinction rigorously, but the terms are not interchangeable.

Nearby in Science & Nature

ecosystem, biodiversity, habitat, symbiosis, parasite, predator

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained