What is the difference between food chains and food webs?

Answer 1

In a food chain, at most one arrow points to each organism, and at most one arrow points from each organism; it is a simple, linear pathway. No such limit exists in a food web. A food chain can be useful for illustrating the concepts of producers and consumers in an ecosystem, but a food web is a much more inclusive and realistic depiction.

Answer 2

Food chains are linear graphical representations which describe the feeding relationships between species in an ecological community. It shows the flow of energy from one organism to the next. Organisms in a food chain are grouped into trophic levels. e.g Plankton ------> Shrimp-------> Perch-------> Osprey.

Food webs are a network of interlinked food chains. They are a much better representation of the feeding relationship in an ecosystem as each species usually feeds on a number of other organisms rather than just one , as shown in food chains

Answer 3

a food chain is one path that energy takes within a ecosystem (energy of course is what is gained when one organism eats another)...so this would be plant to insect to small animal to larger animal to apex predator...

a food web is ALL THE POSSIBLE paths that energy can take...so it could be plant to insect or plant to herbivore.....the chain is one path it takes where as the web shows all posibilities of energy transfer

Answer 4

ok, a nutrients chain is barely one direction. a caterpillar eats a moth, and a fox eats the caterpillar. A nutrients information superhighway is made out of of nutrients chains, and expands on them- the fox additionally eats a poultry, a squirrel, and the squirrel eats a fish, and the fish eats a moth, etc. It gets greater complicated, like a information superhighway.

Answer 5

TRANSFER OF ENERGY FROM ONE TROPHIC LEVEL TO NEXT IS FOOD CHAIN.A NETWORK OF FOOD CHAINS WHICH ARE INTERCONNECTED AT VARIOUS TROPHIC LEVELS,SO AS TO FORM A NUMBER OF FEEDING CONNECTIONS AMONGST DIFFERENT ORGANISMS OF A BIOTIC COMMUNITY IS CALLED FOOD WEB.