food web
nounDefinition of food web
: the totality of interacting food chains in an ecological community
Examples of food web in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some experts have cautioned that inducing phytoplankton blooms could lead to unintended consequences for marine ecosystems, either by inadvertently triggering toxic algae blooms or by altering marine food webs in unexpected ways. — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, "Humans May Be Accidentally Geoengineering the Oceans," 15 July 2019 The authors note that populations of small water fleas in the genus Daphnia, an important species in the lake food web, have declined precipitously since use of DDT began. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Decades After DDT Was Banned, It Still Impacts Canadian Lakes," 15 June 2019 Something was stripping a basic building block in the food web every other year. — Dan Joling, BostonGlobe.com, "Scientists warn of too many pink salmon in North Pacific," 11 Aug. 2019 This can devastate more insects across the food web than nectar contaminated with insecticides could, the team says, because honeydew is more abundant, especially in agricultural fields. — Katie Camero, Science | AAAS, "This tiny insect could be delivering toxic pesticides to honey bees and other beneficial bugs," 5 Aug. 2019 Both diner and dinner are helping researchers piece together the complex food web of Jehol, reports Michael Greshko at National Geographic. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "140 Million Years Ago, a Bird-Like Dinosaur Swallowed a Lizard Whole. Here’s Why Its Final Meal Is Exciting Researchers," 15 July 2019 Now that the fossil and its last meal have been identified, the specimen is already helping to improve reconstructions of the ancient Jehol food web. — Michael Greshko, National Geographic, "Rare fossil in a fossil reveals a dinosaur's surprising last meal," 11 July 2019 The brighter environment has affected myriad animals and the food web overall, from insects up the chain to humans. — Katherine Rosenberg-douglas, chicagotribune.com, "West Nile virus could see an uptick in Chicago, a new study suggests. A culprit that’s saving the city millions could be to blame.," 30 July 2019 The project was aimed at boosting salmon populations through its effects on the marine food web. — Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, "Humans May Be Accidentally Geoengineering the Oceans," 15 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'food web.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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