ecosystem

Everyday

1. An ecosystem is all the living things in one place — plants, animals, fungi and tiny germs — together with the non-living things around them, like water, soil, air and sunlight, all affecting each other. tree →
2. (figurative) An ecosystem is a group of things or companies that work closely together, like apps, phones and computers made to work together. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils study ecosystems such as ponds, forests, coral reefs, deserts and the Australian bush; they learn about food chains, producers, consumers and decomposers, and how one change (pollution, a new species) affects the whole system. In everyday talk «tech ecosystem» means products that work together. Phrases: «a balanced ecosystem», «damage the ecosystem», «marine ecosystem».

Examples

• A pond is a small ecosystem. tree →
• The Great Barrier Reef is a huge ecosystem. tree →
• Rabbits harmed the Australian ecosystem when they spread. tree →
• Every living thing in an ecosystem depends on others. tree →
• Pollution can damage the whole ecosystem. tree →
• We built a mini ecosystem in a jar. tree →
• Removing wolves changed the ecosystem of Yellowstone. tree →
• My phone and tablet are part of the same ecosystem. tree →

Note

Countable: an ecosystem (use «an» because it starts with a vowel sound). Pronounced «EE-koh-sis-tem». An ecosystem includes non-living parts; a «habitat» is just the home of one kind of living thing; a «community» is only the living things.