trophic chain
nounUK /ˈtrɒfɪk tʃeɪn/
US /ˈtroʊfɪk tʃeɪn/
A trophic chain is the path that shows who eats whom in nature.
In a pond's trophic chain, tiny bugs eat algae, small fish eat the bugs, and big fish eat the small fish.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass in an ecosystem, starting with producers.
Scientists traced the trophic chain from sunlight to plants to herbivores to carnivores.
3. A linear diagram used in ecology to show feeding relationships and energy flow.
The class drew a trophic chain with arrows pointing from prey to predator.
4. A series of levels in which each organism feeds on the one below it.
Pollutants can build up at each step of the trophic chain.