Biologycalendar_todayLast updated: Apr 2026
What is Ecosystem?
/ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm/
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms — plants, animals, fungi, bacteria — interacting with each other and with their physical environment (soil, water, air) as an interconnected system.
lightbulb
Everyday Example
A garden pond is a tiny ecosystem: algae feed insects, insects feed frogs, frogs are eaten by herons, and dead organisms decompose into nutrients that feed the algae.
publicReal-World Application
“The Amazon rainforest produces 20% of the world's oxygen and drives rainfall patterns across South America. Its destruction does not just lose trees — it disrupts the entire planetary ecosystem.”
psychology
Did you know?
The concept of ecosystem was coined by botanist Arthur Tansley in 1935, emphasising that organisms cannot be understood in isolation from their physical environment.
emoji_objects
Key Insight
Remove any component from an ecosystem and the effects ripple outward unpredictably. Ecosystems appear stable for years before a tipping point causes rapid, sometimes irreversible collapse.
Want to learn Ecosystem in 60 seconds?
Join 50,000+ learners snacking on knowledge daily.