food chain

[food cheyn]

noun

1. Ecology.,  a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

2. the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer.

3. a hierarchy ranked by status, importance, influence, etc..

   people who are high up on the political and media food chain.

food chain

noun

1. ecology a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each species is the food of the next member of the chain

2. informal,  the hierarchy in an organization or society

food chain

1. 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).

2. ◆ 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.

3. See more at trophic level

food chain

1. The series of steps by which energy is obtained, used, and transformed by living things. For example: sunlight helps grain to grow, the grain feeds cattle, and humans eat the cattle.

Harmful chemicals can become concentrated as they move up the food chain.

Word History and Origins

Origin of food chain¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

"So if that ecosystem's in poor health, those species that live at this part of the food chain, they're also going to suffer poor health."

From BBC

Posting on Instagram, the zoo explains it has a "responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals" and smaller livestock "make up an important part of the diet of our predators".

From BBC

Whilst that has proved a bit of a headache for gardeners, aphids form an important part of the food chain and are eaten by birds and other insects.

From BBC

They are essential to the aquatic food chain and also produce half the oxygen we breath.

From BBC

She said lithium mining impacts microorganisms that birds feed on in these waters, so the whole food chain is affected.

From BBC