How was the early Christian church structured? How did that structure change over time?

read below :)

Explanation:In the 1st and 2d centuries, the Christian church began to form as the followers of Jesus's teachings like Paul and the Apostles began to travel to spread the word. The early church lacked any formal institutions, it was an unofficial body of people that gathered together in the shadows.

The loose organization of the church was only beginning to have some structure under the leadership of some elders and deacons that met directly with the disciples.

However, when Emperor Constantine made the formal acknowledgment of Christianity made him head of the church and the status of Christianity as official religion paved the way for the Catholic church to structure and increase rapidly in the former Roman Empire.

food chain i would say only because there is competition on getting food and survival