A food chain is a linear sequence of links in a food web starting from a species that are called producers in the web and ends at a species that is called decomposers species in the web.
A food chain also shows how the organisms are related with each other by the food they eat. A food chain differs from a food web, because the complex polyphagous network of feeding relations are aggregated into trophic species and the chain only follows linear monophagous pathways.
Food chains are often used in ecological modeling (such as a three species food chain). Food chains vary in length from three to six or more levels.
What is the difference betweena food web and a food chain?
A food web consists of many food chains.
A food chain only follows just one path as animals find food.eg: A hawk eats a snake, which has eaten a frog, which has eaten a grasshopper, which has eaten grass.
A food web shows the many different paths plants and animals are connected.
eg: A hawk might also eat a mouse, a squirrel, a frog or some other animal. The snake may eat a beetle, a caterpillar, or some other animal. And so on for all the other animals in the food chain.
A food web is several food chains connected together.
Picture view of a simple food chain:
