food chainˈfood chain noun 
Examples
Pollution is affecting many creatures lower down the food chain.
ExamplesEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Those higher on the political food chain, such as manufacturers and oil companies, will benefit most.
- Environmentalists have warned that dioxins accumulate in fat and milk and will work their way through the food chain.
- Evidence has also emerged that oil has entered the food chain after being ingested by fish such as salmon.
- Haulage firms would then be allowed to take cattle to abattoirs, with the animals being slaughtered before entering the food chain.
- Its scientists next plan to assess whether potential contamination carried in air or the food chain could be affecting islanders' health.
- The fox is needed in the food chain.
- The only true amateurs left are the ones on the bottom end of the highlights-film, commercial-endorsement food chain.
Longman Language Activatorthe natural world that people, animals, and plants live in► the environment
Phrases the air, water, and land where people, animals, and plants live, and the way all these things depend on each other so that life can continue: · Many modern farming methods are highly damaging to the environment.· Young people between 18 and 30 tend to be much more concerned about the environment than the older generation.· Ask your local MP what he or she intends to do to help protect the environment.
► ecosystem the animals, plants etc that exist in a particular area or type of area and the way they all depend on each other in order to live, considered as a single separate part of the environment: · The bay has a very complex and delicate ecosystem.· The rainforest is a self-supporting ecosystem.a marine/forest/riverbank etc ecosystem: · Many species of burrowing insects are essential for maintaining a healthy soil ecosystem.
► ecology the way in which plants, animals, and the natural features of a place affect and depend on each other, or the scientific study of this: · Plans to build a new airfield could threaten the delicate ecology of the island.· She is giving a lecture about the natural history and ecology of the sea shore.
► habitat the place and natural conditions that a plant, animal, etc lives or grows best in: · Further building development would threaten valuable badger and red squirrel habitats.· Suburban gardens can provide habitats for many forms of wildlife.· Ancient habitats such as grasslands, bogs, and wetlands are rapidly disappearing.
► food chain the natural system in which plants, animals, insects etc feed on each other, for example when a particular bird feeds on a particular insect, which feeds on a particular plant etc: · The oil spill has killed off billions of microscopic sea plants, thus threatening marine life further up the food chain.· Pesticides destroy insects that are an important part of the food chain for several species of songbird.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► the food chain
the food chain all animals and plants considered as a group in which a plant is eaten by an insect or animal, which is then eaten by another animal and so on: - Pollution is having a long-term impact on the food chain in the bay.
Pollution is affecting many creatures lower down the food chain.