food web

/fud wɛb/

/fud wɛb/

Other forms: food webs

In the food web of aquatic creatures, which describes how organisms are organized with respect to the food chain, sharks are on top and tiny aquatic organisms are on the bottom. Together these interdependent organisms keep the food web in balance. The little guys give the big ones something to eat!

The terms food web and food chain sound like the same thing, but don't be fooled; they aren't. While a food chain goes from top to bottom: hawk eats snake eats frog eats grasshopper eats grass, a food web shows the different ways these organisms are connected. A hawk might also eat a rabbit or a mouse or a frog. The job of a food web is to show how all these organisms are connected — not up and down like a chain, but all around like a web.

Definitions of food web

1. noun

   (ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
   synonyms: food cycle

   type of:

   organic phenomenon

   (biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals