Food chain
WordNet
noun
(1) (ecology) a community of organisms where each member is eaten in turn by another member
WiktionaryText
Noun
- The feeding relationships between species in a biotic community.
- a hierarchy
- With my promotion this month I will continue my steady journey to the top of the food chain.
Usage notes
Because the concept of the food chain implies a feeding hierarchy proceeding upwards to a top predator, modern ecologists usually prefer the term food web, since that term allows for a more complicated system of interactions.