noun
(ecology) a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member
• Topics: ↑ecology, ↑bionomics, ↑environmental science
• Hypernyms: ↑organic phenomenon
• Part Holonyms: ↑food web, ↑food cycle
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food chain,
1. Ecology. a group of organisms so interrelated that each member of the group feeds upon the one below it and is in turn eaten by the organism above it.
2. Figurative: »
Metalheads may not rank very high on the socioeconomic food chain, but they are certainly not embarrassed (New York Times).
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n. a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food
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noun, pl ⋯ chains [count]
: a series of types of living things in which each one uses the next lower member of the series as a source of food
— usually used with the
Sharks eat fish that are lower in the food chain.
animals that are at the top/bottom of the food chain
— often used figuratively
directors and producers at the top of the Hollywood food chain [=very powerful and successful directors and producers]
the corporate food chain
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a series of living creatures in which each type of creature feeds on the one below it in the series
•
Insects are fairly low down (on) the food chain.
•
Pesticides work their way up the food chain from plants, through insects and birds to humans.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.