Food Web

Food Chains interconnected with one another to form a food web. To divers food preferences and the sharing food by some animals in an ecosystem.

One species of some animal is consumed by several predators. The predators become members of the different food chains and occupy different positions in different food chains.

The food web or even Food chain will change with time within an ecosystem.

Animals that feed on one or selected species are termed stenophageous species, that feed on more than one species of food type is termed as euryphagous or polyphagous species.

Food wens and the stability of the ecosystem

The number of cross-connections in the food web determines its degree of complexity. This number of cross-links is important for ecosystem stability.

  • The complex food webs with numerous cross-connection are more stable than those with a lesser number of cross-connections.
  • The stability of a food web or the ecosystem depends on a few crucial links referred to as the key links of a food web.  
In Monoculture,

The primary producer is a single plant species, food chain, or food web that are found to be very simple. Therefore loss of plant components will lead to a complete breakdown of the entire system.
Natural ecosystems have several plant species, that give rise to development of a complex food web with numerous cross-connections. Removal of any plant species from a particular ecosystem will cause disruption of its stability. But it soon recovers since the herbivores adapt and feed on other species of plant found in the ecosystem.