Food Chains and Webs

Food Webs

Often ecosystems have many food chains.  Grass and mice live in a meadow, but so do birds, insects, and many other organisms.  All the food chains in an ecosystem connect to form a food web. 

The difference between a food chain and a food web is that a food chain only follows one path as animals find food.  A food web is several food chains joined together.  A hawk might eat a mouse, a squirrel, a frog, or another animal.  A snake may eat a beetle, mouse, or another animal.  Every other animal may eat many different types of animals in a food chain.