English Explanatory Dictionary

ecosystem

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
  2. The interconnectedness of organisms (plants, animals, microbes) with each other and their environment.
  3. A network of interconnected people, organizations, products or services that resembles a natural ecosystem due to the complex interdependencies.

Pronunciation

/ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-ecosystem.wav

Word forms

ecosystem ecosystems

Etymology

From eco- + system. Coined by English botanist Arthur Tansley in 1935 in a paper titled The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts in the journal Ecology.

Derived words

agroecosystem ecosystem engineer ecosystemic geoecosystem macroecosystem mesoecosystem metaecosystem microecosystem palaeoecosystem paleoecosystem technoecosystem
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