Food Web
. Food Web, set of interconnected food chains by which energy and materials circulate within an ecosystem (see Ecology ). The food web is divided into two broad categories: the grazing web, which typically begins with green plants, algae , or photosynthesizing plankton , and the detrital web, which begins with organic debris. These webs are made up of individual food chains. In a grazing web, materials typically pass from plants to plant eaters (herbivores) to flesh eaters (carnivores). In a detrital web, materials pass from plant and animal matter to bacteria and fungi (decomposers), then to detrital feeders (detritivores), and then to their predators (carnivores). Food Web The sun is the original source of energy in virtually all ecosystems. Producers (plants) convert the light energy into chemical energy, storing it in their cells. When primary consumers (herbivores) eat the producers, the energy changes into a form that can be stored in animal cells. Secondary consumers (carniv...