food web

noun

: the totality of interacting food chains in an ecological community

Examples of food web in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Low ice cover can upend ecosystems, disrupt the food web, create dangerous conditions along the shoreline and signal the possibility of blue-green algae blooms later in the year. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 Tracking mercury exposure is crucial for monitoring an ecosystem—but merely sampling rocks, ice or soil for its presence tells little about how much is actually entering the food web. Gayoung Lee, Scientific American, 12 Feb. 2025 This analysis tracks how the depletion of the largest species—like sawfishes and rhino rays—began in nearshore waters and has since cascaded through the food web, affecting even the deep-sea habitats. Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024 The most severe of these impacts are death after entanglement, habitat destruction and food web changes. Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 8 May 2024 See All Example Sentences for food web

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of food web was in 1932

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Cite this Entry

“Food web.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/food%20web. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

food web

noun
: the whole group of interacting food chains in an ecological community

More from Merriam-Webster on food web

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