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Ecosystem

EE-koh-sis-tum /ˈiːkoʊˌsɪstəm/

nounB2GRETOEFLIELTS

formalscientific

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Emphasizes the interconnectedness of living things and their non-living surroundings.

The story behind the word. The word 'Ecosystem' was coined in 1935 by British ecologist Arthur Tansley. He combined 'eco' from 'ecology' (which comes from Greek 'oikos' meaning 'house' or 'habitat') with 'system' to describe the fundamental unit of nature where living organisms and their non-living environment interact as a single, integrated whole. It was a revolutionary concept for understanding nature's interconnectedness.

Word relationships

Biome: A biome is a larger-scale ecological region characterized by its climate and dominant plant life, encompassing many ecosystems.
Environment: Environment is a broader term for all external conditions affecting an organism, while ecosystem specifies the interacting biological and physical components.

Word family

Ecological (adjective): Relating to the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Ecologist (noun): A person who studies ecology.

Collocations

fragile ecosystem
marine ecosystem
forest ecosystem
preserve an ecosystem
disrupt an ecosystem

Example sentences

"The Amazon rainforest is a vast and incredibly diverse ecosystem, crucial for global climate regulation." Describing a complex natural environment.
"Scientists are studying how pollution affects the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem." Discussing ecological research.

Memory hook

Think of 'ECO' as 'Earth's Community Of' living things, all working together as a 'SYSTEM'. Earth's Community System

When not to use

Avoid using it informally when a simpler term like 'environment' or 'habitat' would suffice for a single species.

Fun facts

Arthur Tansley introduced 'Ecosystem' to emphasize the importance of both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components in ecological studies.