Ecosystem
noun /ˈiː.kəʊ.sɪs.təm/ — A biological community of organisms interacting with their environment.
Definition
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, functioning as a system. No part of an ecosystem is independent — everything affects everything else. Ecosystems can be as small as a drop of water or as large as a continent.
Beyond the definition
The ecosystem metaphor has escaped into language because it captures something true about interconnection. In an ecosystem, you cannot remove one element without affecting every other. We are all, always, ecosystems.
Origin & history
Greek: 'oikos' (house, home) + 'systēma' (system). The term was coined in 1935 by British ecologist Arthur Tansley to describe the complex web of relationships between living organisms and their environment.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The coral reef is one of the most complex ecosystems on earth — and one of the most endangered.
Every city has an economic ecosystem — a network of dependencies as intricate as any rainforest.
She understood her team as an ecosystem: disrupt one relationship, and the whole system would feel it.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Ecosystem” when the meaning fits your context: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, functioning as a system. No part of an ecosystem is independent — everything affects everything else. Ecosystems can be as small as a drop of water or as large as a continent.
Synonyms
Related words
Ecosystem vs biome
An ecosystem is a specific, local set of interacting organisms. A biome is a large-scale global classification of habitats like deserts or rainforests.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Sunlight Through Canopy Onto Floor
A vibrant woodland scene with sunlight filtering through a thick canopy onto a forest floor covered in diverse plants and moss.
The woodland represents an ecosystem, a system where the light, trees, plants, and ground are all interdependent. No single element exists in isolation, as the sunlight's reach, the canopy's structure, and the floor's diversity all function together to sustain the life teeming within the forest.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Ecosystem" mean?
Ecosystem is noun meaning: A biological community of organisms interacting with their environment.. A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment, functioning as a system. No part of an ecosystem is independent — everything affects everything else. Ecosystems can be as small as a drop of water or as large as a continent.
Where does the word "Ecosystem" come from?
Greek: 'oikos' (house, home) + 'systēma' (system). The term was coined in 1935 by British ecologist Arthur Tansley to describe the complex web of relationships between living organisms and their environment.