What's the differencne between a food web and a food chain?

Question

I really hate science.

Answer 1

A food chain is "who eats whom" ... generally bigger eats smaller and is restricted by where all the species in the chain live ... i.e. in you live in North America you might be part of a grizzley bear's food chain, but not a panda bear's food chain.

But few animals eat only one thing, Ie. maybe grizzleys and pandas both eat berrys that grow in North America and Asia. So at those points in the various food chains where more than one animal is eating the same thing the food chains cross.

Since many food chains act this way the total effect is a food web.

Answer 2

It's all about energy in the food.

A food chain shows one possible path:
sun > plant > insect > bird > hawk
All the energy goes in a straight line.

A food web shows ALL possible paths - the same plant may be eaten by a mouse, a cow, or a human. The human may eat the cow. The mouse could be eaten by a hawk. If you were to draw a line from every animal to what it could eat, it looks like a spider WEB.

Answer 3

A food web is a series of food industries and a food chain is a chain of the same foods ie, McDonalds, Burger king etc...