A food web is a network representation of trophic relationships. Its topology identifies potential routes for matter and energy transfer, while interaction strength and environmental conditions determine actual dynamics. The activity is qualitative and includes only selected organisms. It does not assume that removing one node causes a fixed proportional response or that energy circulates indefinitely without dissipation.
Plants, animals and ecosystems · Discover & try
Why is a food web more than one chain?
Reading level 5 of 5 · AdvancedChange
Word help
producer
An organism that forms organic material using an energy source.
consumer
An organism that obtains material and energy by consuming other material.
Watch · Try · Explain
See how it works
The interactive activity is loading.
Selected illustrative feeding links, not complete local diets, equal energy flows or population predictions.
What to look for
- Arrows point from food to eater
- One organism can have several links
- Indirect effects can have alternatives
Explain what you noticed
A new web shows grass → grasshopper → frog. What does the arrow from grasshopper to frog mean here?
Keep this idea: Read the arrow convention and follow more than one feeding route.
Follow the sources
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center — Terrestrial Food Webs
- Smithsonian Learning Lab — Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Source material checked 2026-10-28. Explanations and activities by Nepedia. Source links do not imply endorsement.
You’ve reached the end of this journey
Choose another journey →