A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and serves as a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community. It illustrates the feeding pathways where heterotrophs obtain organic matter by feeding on autotrophs and other heterotrophs. In ecological terms, food webs classify organisms into broad categories known as trophic levels, which include autotrophs (organisms that produce their own energy) and heterotrophs (organisms that consume others for energy). The concept encompasses various interactions among consumers and resources, which are categorized into types such as herbivory, carnivory, scavenging, and parasitism[1].
Food webs also function as simplified models that aggregate many species into functional groups called trophic species, which share the same predators and prey[1]. Within a food web, the base comprises species without prey (like plants), while the top consists of apex predators, with various levels of consumers in between[1]. Overall, food webs depict the energy flow and nutrient cycling within ecosystems, illustrating the complex relationships between different organisms[1].
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