English

Noun

food chain ‎(plural food chains)

1. The feeding relationships between species in a biotic community.
2. (idiomatic) A hierarchy.

   With my promotion this month I will continue my steady journey to the top of the food chain.

Usage notes

Because the concept of the food chain implies a feeding hierarchy proceeding upwards to a top predator, modern ecologists usually prefer the term food web, since that term allows for a more complicated system of interactions.

Related terms

• food web
• trophic level

Translations