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balance of nature

noun

population equilibrium among organisms and their environments resulting from continuous interaction and interdependency.

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To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
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Origin of balance of nature

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby balance of nature

balanced step, balanced ticket, balanced translocation, balanced valve, balance lug, balance of nature, balance of payments, balance of power, balance of terror, balance of trade, balance pipe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for balance of nature

balance of nature

noun

the stable state in which natural communities of animals and plants exist, maintained by adaptation, competition, and other interactions between members of the communit ies and their nonliving environment
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for balance of nature

balance of nature

A concept in ecology that describes natural systems as being in a state of equilibrium, in which disturbing one element disturbs the entire system. The inference is usually drawn that the natural state of any system is the preferred state and that it is best to leave it undisturbed. Modern ecologists no longer believe that a balance of nature exists.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.