food web

[ food web ]

noun

, Ecology.

1. a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.

food web

noun

1. a combination of food chains that integrate to form a network

food web

1. See under food chain

Word History and Origins

Origin of food web¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

The authors write that the switch-off between precipitation types could have devastating ripple effects that include global heating, starvation of wildlife, harms to Indigenous communities, altered ocean currents, and changes in marine food webs.

From Popular-Science

This helps keep iron and other crucial nutrients in the food web.

From Science News For Students

Phytoplankton blooms, which sustain krill and many other parts of the food web, rely on that iron.

From Science News

By feeding on iron-rich krill in the deep and returning some of that iron to the surface in the form of poop, whales help keep this crucial element in the food web.

From Science News

The discovery may provide key context on the cats’ role in food webs, helping scientists better understand the effect of environmental changes on the species, researchers report October 6 in Ecology.

From Science News

And other scientists are researching the effects microplastics have on the food web and our health.

From The Daily Beast