ecosystem
UK /ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ · US /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ noun
Forms ecosystems
- noun A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
- noun The interconnectedness of organisms (plants, animals, microbes) with each other and their environment.
- noun (by extension) A network of interconnected people, organizations, products or services that resembles a natural ecosystem due to the complex interdependencies. “The company’s ecosystem mainly comprises its supply chain, customers, end consumers and competitors.”
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.
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “ecosystem”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details