alleryStart learning →Food webs describe real ecosystems better, so why do ecologists still use food chains?
AThey are simpler to model and test
BThey show every feeding link there is
CThey record the whole habitat as well
DThey need no data about the species
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. They are simpler to model and test
1. A food web is holistic and captures organisms that feed at several levels at once.
2. That realism makes a web harder to handle mathematically.
3. A food chain is linear, so it is easier to follow and easier to experiment with.
4. It is also more flexible for analytical modeling.
5. Claiming a chain shows every feeding link is exactly the weakness that makes webs necessary.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 44 and 46, section 46.1 Ecology of Ecosystems_
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