ecosystem

== English == === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/ (US) IPA(key): /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ Hyphenation: eco‧sys‧tem === Noun === ecosystem (plural ecosystems) A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit. The interconnectedness of organisms (plants, animals, microbes) with each other and their environment. (by extension) A network of interconnected people, organizations, products or services that resembles a natural ecosystem due to the complex interdependencies. ==== Hypernyms ==== system ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === ecosystem on Wikipedia.Wikipedia