ecosystemn.
/ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstᵻm/, /ˈɛkəʊˌsɪstᵻm/, U.S. /ˈɛkoʊˌsɪstəm/, /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ Biology.
A biological system composed of all the organisms found in a particular physical environment, interacting with it and with each other. Also in extended use: a complex system resembling this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > [noun]
natural order1531
balance of nature1909
ecosystem1935
biosystem1942
1935 A. G. Tansley in Ecology 16 306 The fundamental concept appropriate to the biome considered together with all the effective inorganic factors of its environment is the ecosystem, which is a particular category among the physical systems that make up the universe.
1952 P. W. Richards Trop. Rain Forest v. 111 Certain animals..which play an important part in the rain-forest ecosystem.
1974 Audubon Sept. 126/2 Too many people, like too many locusts, can upset ecosystems.
1982 M. J. Dring Biol. Marine Plants (1986) iii. 43 The primary productivity of an ecosystem, whether it is defined in terms of energy fixation..or change in biomass.., depends on the rate of photosynthesis per unit area of surface.
2006 Wired Oct. 177/1 In the Office division.., compensation is now directly linked to title so employees know roughly where every colleague stands in the ecosystem.
Compounds
ecosystem service n. (chiefly in plural) any of the many natural-world phenomena and processes that (especially in healthy ecosystems) directly and indirectly benefit human life.The term encompasses things essential to all living beings such as the production of oxygen, food, and clean water, climate control and nutrient cycling, and also those that contribute to human emotional well-being, recreation, and culture. Attempts at valuations of various ecosystem services have sometimes been made to raise awareness of their importance, to inform decision-making processes, and aid conservation efforts.
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1981 P. R. Ehrlich & A. Ehrlich Extinction vi. 94 Overuse of DDT..greatly reduced..the predatory insects that normally kept the mites in check. These experiences highlight a very fundamental ecosystem service: the control of populations of species that, if the ecosystem is perturbed, have the ability to become important enemies of Homo sapiens.
2009 C. R. C. Sheppard et al. Biol. Coral Reefs i. 32 Reefs provide a variety of ‘ecosystem services’, including food production, coastal protection from wave energy, tourism and a general value often named high biodiversity.
2015 BBC Focus Christmas 44/1 As long as carbon stored in trees is valued above other ecosystem services, the conservation values of grassy biomes will remain threatened.
Derivatives
ecosyˈstemic adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > balance of nature > [adjective]
ecosystemic1953
1953 Ecol. Monogr. 23 56 The ecosystemic pattern varies in time and space and hence the coupled aspects of the ecosystem selected for study vary in parallel.
1990 Educ. Psychol. 10 302 From an ecosystemic viewpoint, human behaviour is the product of ongoing interaction between environmental influences and internal motivations.
2004 Human Ecol. (Nexis) 32 421 The reintroduction of wildfire has had a far greater impact, both in size and in intensity, than if it had been allowed to continue as a natural ecosystemic element.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1935