ecosystem

Meaning

1. A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
2. The interconnectedness of organisms (plants, animals, microbes) with each other and their environment.
3. A network of interconnected people, organisations, products or services that resembles a natural ecosystem due to the complex interdependencies.

Hyphenated as

eco‧sys‧tem

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm/

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.