Ecosystem

Ecosystem - a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, they can be of any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces (some scientists say that an entire planet is an ecosystem).

