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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
- 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
San Diego-based fast food chain Jack in the Box announced plans this week to close 150 to 200 locations as part of a broader strategy to improve long-term finances.
Royal Perk account holders can purchase a cheeseburger for 1 cent with any $1 purchase at the fast food chain through April 20.
Levels of lead and other heavy metals spiked in L.A.’s coastal waters after the January fires, raising serious concerns for the long-term health of the marine food chain.
The fast food chain suggested it still thought AI drive-throughs would be part of the future and it was looking for a new partner.
The metals also accumulate in the tissues of animals exposed to them, and then make their way up the food chain as those organisms are eaten by larger ones.
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