What is Food Chain? Definition, Meaning & Example
A sequence showing how energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another through feeding relationships.
TL;DR: A sequence showing how energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another through feeding relationships.
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Food Chain: A sequence showing how energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another through feeding relationships.
Explanation
A food chain starts with producers like plants, continues to consumers that eat other organisms, and may include decomposers. Energy flows from the sun through plants to herbivores to carnivores. Each step loses energy as heat.
Example
A simple food chain is: grass to grasshopper to frog to snake, showing the transfer of energy through eating relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?
A food chain shows one path of energy transfer, while a food web shows multiple interconnected food chains.
Why do food chains rarely have more than four steps?
Energy is lost at each step, so there is not enough energy to support many levels of consumers.
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