What Does Food Web Mean?

Food webs are tools used to help students and biologists understand ecosystems. Food webs have a structure that allow very complex ecosystems to be simplified.

  1. Types

    • Living organisms get their food through decomposition, photosynthesis or the consumption of other living matter.

    Predators and Prey

    • A predator is an organism that consumes another organism. Prey are organisms that are consumed by a particular organism.

    Food Web

    • Food webs are graphical illustrations that show which organisms consume other organisms.

    Structure

    • Food webs show lines with arrows that point at the prey. For instance, a food web of a savanna might show an arrow pointing from a lion to a gazelle, indicating that the lion consumes the gazelle.

    Web

    • Food webs have several pictures of animals and plants with lines connecting each predator with its prey. The word "web" comes from the fact that these lines cross over each other to create a web.