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ecosystem

EE-koh-siss-tum /ˈiːkoʊsɪstəm/

nounB1IELTSTOEFLSAT

generalacademic

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical, non-living environment.

Encompasses both the living organisms (biotic) and non-living elements (abiotic, like rocks, water, climate) functioning as a linked system.

The story behind the word. British botanist Arthur Tansley coined the word 'ecosystem' in 1935. He wanted a precise term combining 'eco-' (nature's house) with 'system' to describe how living organisms and their physical environment form one integrated operational unit.

Word relationships

biome: A 'biome' is a major regional or global community (like tundra or rainforest), whereas an 'ecosystem' can exist on any scale (even a single pond).
environment: 'Environment' refers generally to surroundings, whereas 'ecosystem' specifies active operational feedback loops between life forms and non-living surroundings.

Commonly confused with

habitat: A 'habitat' is an organism's specific home address, while an 'ecosystem' is the entire neighborhood network of living and non-living components.

Word family

ecosystemic (adjective): Relating to or involving an ecosystem.

Collocations

fragile ecosystem
coastal ecosystem
ecosystem services
ecosystem balance

Example sentences

"Coral reefs are among the most fragile ecosystems on Earth, highly sensitive to subtle shifts in water temperature." Marine Biology
"Removing a keystone predator can produce catastrophic cascading effects across the entire forest ecosystem." Forest Conservation

Memory hook

ECO (home) + SYSTEM (connected grid) = The connected grid of nature's home. Nature's home operating system.

When not to use

Do not use when referring strictly to a single species' physical shelter; use 'habitat' instead.

Fun facts

Tansley created the term partly to refute the idea that plant communities were 'super-organisms' with deliberate feelings.