The food chain can be said as the straight and single pathway for the flow of energy in an ecosystem, through different species of organisms. Food web, on the other hand, is defined as the convoluted or complicated pathway of an ecosystem consist of numerous food chains of the different trophic levels, through which the energy flow.

Food chains, food web, are the part of the ecosystem that can be described as the community of the smallest microorganisms, plants to the higher animals that feed, live, reproduce, interact and die in the same area or environment. All ecosystems have feeding hierarchy which includes the sun (energy source), producer, consumer, and decomposer.

But in an ecosystem, it is impossible to have a single food chain. To survive, the organisms feed on the different trophic levels. So in the food web, different food chains are linked together as well as crisscross each other to form a complex network. The food web enhances the competitiveness and adaptability among organisms, but it is not seen in the food chain.