ecosystem

American  

[ee-koh-sis-tuhm, ek-oh-] / ˈi koʊˌsɪs təm, ˈɛk oʊ- /

noun

1. Ecology. a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.

   Aquatic ecosystems differ radically from their terrestrial counterparts.

2. any system or network of interconnecting and interacting parts, as in a business.

   The success of Apple’s ecosystem depends on hardware/software integration.

   Manufacturers, retailers, and customers are all part of the automotive industry’s ecosystem.

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ecosystem British  

/ ˈɛkəʊ-, ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm /

noun

1. ecology a system involving the interactions between a community of living organisms in a particular area and its nonliving environment

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ecosystem Scientific  

/ ē′kō-sĭs′təm /

1. A community of organisms together with their physical environment, viewed as a system of interacting and interdependent relationships and including such processes as the flow of energy through trophic levels and the cycling of chemical elements and compounds through living and nonliving components of the system.

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ecosystem Cultural  

1. A collection of living things and the environment in which they live. For example, a prairie ecosystem includes coyotes, the rabbits on which they feed, and the grasses that feed the rabbits.

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Synonym Usage

ecosystem, habitat, environment, biosphere, ecology are all scientific terms that can refer to spaces or systems in which plants and animals (including humans) live in relationship with each other and with the surrounding physical conditions. environment is the most general term. It can refer to a set of surrounding conditions thought of as a whole, as in a desert environment, or it can single out one or more conditions that could exist with a variety of others: This plant thrives in a warm, moist environment. By itself, it usually refers to all the conditions, elements, and living things that humans live among: Armed conflict always harms the environment. A habitat, on the other hand, is a specific area or set of surrounding conditions that is the natural home of a particular animal, plant, or other organism: The polar bear’s habitat is the Arctic sea ice. The word ecosystem refers to all of the organisms and physical conditions within a certain space, interacting with each other to form a complex, balanced web of relationships. It can be of any size: The 3,000-acre marsh is a finely balanced wetland ecosystem. Each aquarium houses a complete ecosystem of rocks and sand, aquatic plants, fish, and other creatures. The largest known ecosystem of all is the biosphere, consisting of the whole earth and all its living inhabitants. ecology is different from all the other words here: like them, it can mean the web of relationships operating within a particular ecosystem, as in a grassland ecology, but more often refers broadly to relationships between organisms and their environments in general, or to the science that studies these relationships.

Discover More

Chemical substances move through ecosystems on the Earth in cycles (see carbon cycle).

The source of energy for almost every ecosystem on Earth is the sun.

Etymology

Origin of ecosystem

First recorded in 1930–35; eco- + system

Explanation

An ecosystem is all the living things, from plants and animals to microscopic organisms, that share an environment. Everything in an ecosystem has an important role. Well, almost everything. The term ecosystem was coined in 1935, though ecosystems have been around as long as living things. Eco is a spin-off from the word ecology and describes anything having to do with the environment and our relation to it. You've probably heard of related terms like eco-friendly and eco-warrior. And system comes from the Greek word systema or "organized body, whole."

Example Sentences

“These investments are the cornerstone of a resilient and thriving platform ecosystem, and we are prepared to invest over the long term.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

Another advance in the AI ecosystem has been the shift to agentic AI — from “humans clicking things on the internet” to AI agents being tasked with that work.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

It may also work by changing the tiny ecosystem in the mouth that helps unlock those nutrients.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

First, revenues across the AI ecosystem have surged, which seems to contradict the bears’ worries about data-center profitability.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

“Despite my curiosity, I decided that my ignorance was less important than the existence of this microcosmic ecosystem in a veritable desert.”

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone