Canadian Medical Guide > Biological Sciences > Environment and Public Health > Environment > Ecosystem > Food Chain Terms and Definitions
Food Chain
Medical Definition: | The sequence of transfers of matter and energy from organism to organism in the form of FOOD. Food chains intertwine locally into a food web because most organisms consume more than one type of animal or plant. PLANTS, which convert SOLAR ENERGY to food by PHOTOSYNTHESIS, are the primary food source. In a predator chain, a plant-eating animal is eaten by a larger animal. In a parasite chain, a smaller organism consumes part of a larger host and may itself be parasitized by smaller organisms. In a saprophytic chain, microorganisms live on dead organic matter. |
Also Called: | Food Web,Parasite Chain,Predator Chain,Saprophytic Chain |
Food Chain Medical Definitions and Terms
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