Definitions for ecosystem
ˈɛk oʊˌsɪs təm, ˈi koʊ-ecosys·tem

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 6 votes

1. ecosystemnoun

   a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment

WiktionaryRate this definition:4.7 / 3 votes

1. ecosystemnoun

   A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.

2. ecosystemnoun

   The interconnectedness of organisms (plants, animals, microbes) with each other and their environment.

3. ecosystemnoun

   A set of interconnected products and services.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Ecosystem

   An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact.: 458  These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the system through photosynthesis and is incorporated into plant tissue. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and microbes. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors. External factors such as climate, parent material which forms the soil and topography, control the overall structure of an ecosystem but are not themselves influenced by the ecosystem. Internal factors are controlled, for example, by decomposition, root competition, shading, disturbance, succession, and the types of species present. While the resource inputs are generally controlled by external processes, the availability of these resources within the ecosystem is controlled by internal factors. Therefore, internal factors not only control ecosystem processes but are also controlled by them. Ecosystems are dynamic entities—they are subject to periodic disturbances and are always in the process of recovering from some past disturbance. The tendency of an ecosystem to remain close to its equilibrium state, despite that disturbance, is termed its resistance. The capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change so as to retain essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks is termed its ecological resilience. Ecosystems can be studied through a variety of approaches—theoretical studies, studies monitoring specific ecosystems over long periods of time, those that look at differences between ecosystems to elucidate how they work and direct manipulative experimentation. Biomes are general classes or categories of ecosystems. However, there is no clear distinction between biomes and ecosystems. Ecosystem classifications are specific kinds of ecological classifications that consider all four elements of the definition of ecosystems: a biotic component, an abiotic complex, the interactions between and within them, and the physical space they occupy. Ecosystems provide a variety of goods and services upon which people depend. Ecosystem goods include the "tangible, material products" of ecosystem processes such as water, food, fuel, construction material, and medicinal plants. Ecosystem services, on the other hand, are generally "improvements in the condition or location of things of value". These include things like the maintenance of hydrological cycles, cleaning air and water, the maintenance of oxygen in the atmosphere, crop pollination and even things like beauty, inspiration and opportunities for research. Many ecosystems become degraded through human impacts, such as soil loss, air and water pollution, habitat fragmentation, water diversion, fire suppression, and introduced species and invasive species. These threats can lead to abrupt transformation of the ecosystem or to gradual disruption of biotic processes and degradation of abiotic conditions of the ecosystem. Once the original ecosystem has lost its defining features, it is considered "collapsed". Ecosystem restoration can contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

WikidataRate this definition:3.5 / 6 votes

1. Ecosystem

   An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, they can come in any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces. Energy, water, nitrogen and soil minerals are other essential abiotic components of an ecosystem. The energy that flows through ecosystems is obtained primarily from the sun. It generally enters the system through photosynthesis, a process that also captures carbon from the atmosphere. By feeding on plants and on one another, animals play an important role in the movement of matter and energy through the system. They also influence the quantity of plant and microbial biomass present. By breaking down dead organic matter, decomposers release carbon back to the atmosphere and facilitate nutrient cycling by converting nutrients stored in dead biomass back to a form that can be readily used by plants and other microbes.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:2.5 / 4 votes

1. Ecosystem

   A functional system which includes the organisms of a natural community together with their environment. (McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 4th ed)

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ecosystem

   A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.

   Each river has its ecosystem which is vital to the rivers present and future.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on December 27, 2019  

Matched Categories

1. • System

How to pronounce ecosystem?

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How to say ecosystem in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ecosystem in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ecosystem in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of ecosystem in a Sentence

1. Ian Bartoszek:

   [ It's ] is another important piece of evidence for the negative impact invasive Burmese pythons are having on native wildlife across the Greater Everglades Ecosystem imagine the potential consequences to the state and federally protected Southwest Florida panther if Burmese pythons adversely affect the number of white-tailed deer. Officials safely captured and relocated the snake, which painfully regurgitated the dead fawn in the grass. Shortly after, the python was humanely euthanized. Wildlife biologists then performed an autopsy on the snake and collected genetic samples. Biologists are accumulating valuable life history information on the behavior of Burmese pythons in Southwest Florida, the conservancy wrote. This information is leading to the development of an effective python removal technique that combines both hunting and radio-telemetry tracking efforts to target and remove breeding female pythons and disrupt the egg-laying cycle. A 2015 photo, which was just released this week, shows a Burmese python regurgitating a 35-pound white-tailed deer. ( Conservancy of Southwest Florida) The Florida Wildlife Commission has been asking for the public's help to remove the snakes, encouraging them toremove and kill pythons from private lands whenever possible. The South Florida Water Management District even created a python elimination program in 2017 to protect the Everglades and eliminate the snakes from public lands. Approximately158 pythons were eliminated during the program in roughly two months. Wildlife officials would like to find a more effective way to eliminate the creatures, and they believe research is key. Southwest Florida wildlife officials share a 2015 photo of an 11-foot Burmese python and the body of a white-tailed deer, the snake's prey. ( Conservancy of Southwest Florida).

2. Roberto Charvel:

   Having someone huge like SoftBank coming in really fills the financing gap required in a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem.

3. Glenn Kelman:

   What I feel almost protective about, in this really sad elegiac way, is the Multiple Listing Services, scientists believe that the dinosaurs were living a very marginal existence when the asteroid hit. I think the ecosystem in real estate is already just extremely vulnerable.

4. Ramon Llamas:

   Apple is doing what Apple needs to do by demonstrating new devices, applications and features to keep people within the Apple ecosystem and not lose them to Android.

5. Hugh Cumberland:

   This image of the SWIFT network and the surrounding ecosystem being secure and impenetrable has encouraged complacency.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=ecosystem
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ecosystem
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem
4. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=ecosystem