Food chains show interconnected food webs. Find out more with BBC Bitesize. For students between the ages of 11 and 14.

A food chain describes a single pathway that energy and nutrients may follow in an ecosystem. There is one organism per trophic level, and trophic levels are therefore easily defined.

Every living thing plays a role in the food chain and Earth’s ecosystems, and the extinction of certain species, whether predators or prey, can leave behind significant impacts.

For example, looking at the food chains and ecosystem niches in my own garden has allowed me to recognize that I should let voles (to give one example) inhabit the space. A Vole’s Role in a Garden ...

Ecosystems are characterized by interconnected structure and functions. A study published in the open-access journal PLOS ...