A food chain is the linear order of the creatures which starts from creating organisms to conclude on a decomposition of species. The food chain helps us to understand how life is connected by follows a single life cycle path. Whereas the food web connects different food chains and multiple paths in the ecosystem. Both the food chain as well food web are an integral part of our ecosystem.

Food Chain:

Scientifically, the food chain mainly shows the energy transfer process from one creature to another by following a chronological order or pathway. As we know that the energy is neither created nor destroyed; it can only transfer from one to another through various organisms. In our ecosystem, we have producers who can produce, consumers who can consume, and last decomposers who can decompose, the whole energy flows or transfers through a significant pathway.

The food chain mainly displays the transfer of energy from the produces to consumers through a process of the solo pathway. In animal reign, there are different levels of food travel. To better understand the food chain and the process of ecosystem first need to know about the terrestrial ecosystem.

Terrestrial Ecosystem

The main energy source is the sun, which is also the initial source of energy. Plants, who are the producer, use this energy through the process of photosynthesis to make their food and grow. At the next level of this food chain, another life or organism consume those plants as their food and getting that energy from them.   

Those organisms are the primary consumers they consume primary producers in the food chain. In the terrestrial ecosystem, primary consumers could be herbaria such as cow, goat, or it can be a man also. When a man consumes a goat then the man becomes a secondary consumer. The food chain moves upward with the increase of energy levels. Individually every level is named as a trophic level. Primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and the last quaternary consumers are the different trophic levels of the food chain in the terrestrial ecosystem.

Example:

Grass or plants (Producers) consumed by Goat or Goat (Primary Consumer) consumed by Man or lion (Secondary consumer)

In the detritus food chain (DFC), the decomposers such as bacteria and fungi fulfill their energy requirement by feeding the organic wasted matter.

Food Web:

The food web is mainly created by connecting multiple food chains. A food web displays the pragmatic representation of the flow of energy through the various organisms in our ecosystem. 

In components of the ecosystem, at times a single organism can be consumed by many of the predators, or may it consume other different organisms. At that time the representation of energy flow does not follow the proper process because of the interconnection of different trophic levels in the food chain. That is the reason behind the food web comes into place which shows the interconnection between the various creatures and an ecosystem.