Definition of ecosystem
:the complex of a community of organisms and its environment functioning as an ecological unit
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From the M-W Editors
Recent Examples of ecosystem from the Web
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The aquarium would have displays on the Amazon rain forest, a tropical reef and ocean ecosystems.
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The conservative media ecosystem recirculated lurid fantasies that the Clintons were murderers, connected to a drug cartel, and so on.
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But the alternate universe of Silicon Valley’s conservative ecosystem has also professionalized in recent years, galvanized by a confluence of factors.
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Turner’s bluntness on this topic is a fascinating acknowledgement of the status social media now has in Hollywood’s ecosystem.
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There is a much, much bigger ecosystem that a prescription of an opioid affects.
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Sea-level rise and coral bleaching often dominate discussions about how climate change affects the ocean, but a host of more subtle—and harder to research—trends also play a role in reshaping the world’s marine ecosystems.
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People go for the most attractive device or the ecosystem.
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Probably one of their functions within the ecosystem is to be food for other things.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ecosystem.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of ecosystem
1935
Other Ecology Terms
ECOSYSTEM Defined for English Language Learners
ecosystem
play
noun
Definition of ecosystem for English Language Learners
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: everything that exists in a particular environment
ECOSYSTEM Defined for Kids
ecosystem
play
noun
eco·sys·tem
\
ˈē-kō-ˌsi-stəm
,
ˈe-
\
Definition of ecosystem for Students
:the whole group of living and nonliving things that make up an environment and affect each other
Medical Dictionary
ecosystem
play
noun
eco·sys·tem
\
-ˌsis-təm
\
medical Definition of ecosystem
:the complex of a community and its environment functioning as an ecological unit in nature
Learn More about ecosystem
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Spanish Central: Translation of ecosystem Nglish: Translation of ecosystem for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ecosystem for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ecosystem
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