What do we call a series of living things that are connected through eating?

A series of living things that are connected through eating is referred to as a food chain. A food chain illustrates the linear path through which energy and nutrients are transferred from one organism to another, starting from a primary producer, like a plant, up to various levels of consumers, which include herbivores and carnivores. This model emphasizes the direct relationships and feeding connections in an ecosystem and is foundational in understanding how energy flows and biological interactions occur.

The other options, while related to ecological concepts, describe different or broader relationships. A food web, for example, portrays a more complex network of interactions that encompasses multiple food chains and highlights how various organisms are interconnected in their feeding relationships. An ecological cycle refers to the broader processes that sustain ecosystems, including nutrient cycling and energy flow but does not specifically focus on the direct eating relationships. Similarly, a nutritional cycle might imply aspects of how nutrients are absorbed and utilized by organisms, but it lacks the specific focus on the linear feeding relationships that define a food chain.