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food chain
[ food cheyn ]
noun
- 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.
- the chain from a food source to the ultimate consumer.
- a hierarchy ranked by status, importance, influence, etc.:
people who are high up on the political and media food chain.
food chain
noun
- ecology a sequence of organisms in an ecosystem in which each species is the food of the next member of the chain
- informal.the hierarchy in an organization or society
food chain
/ fo̅o̅d /
- 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
food chain
- 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.
Notes
Word History and Origins
Origin of food chain1
Example Sentences
The fast food chain’s ice cream machines were made by the Taylor Company, an Illinois-based manufacturer of food service equipment.
The shy bird plays an important role in the food chain by preying on rodents, snakes and other pests and is also the state bird of Rajasthan, where it is called 'Godawan' by locals.
Although mosquitoes can carry diseases, they are an important part of the food chain - as nourishment for fish, birds, bats and frogs, for example - and some are important pollinators.
Following a row over whether Kamala Harris once worked at McDonald's, a doctored image of her in the fast food chain's uniform was shared on Facebook by her supporters and went viral.
Several photos included in the complaint showed that in reality, the fast food chain’s sandwiches are mostly bread with small amounts of meat.
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