noun

• 1Ecology
  A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

  ‘the marine ecosystem of the northern Gulf had suffered irreparable damage’

  More example sentences

  • ‘However, common species play pivotal roles in ecosystems, providing habitats and food for our fauna.’
  • ‘However, there is also substitutability between organisms in an ecosystem.’
  • ‘That was the first time I got to spend a lot of intimate time in a marine ecosystem.’
  • ‘Some people apply different rules to aquatic ecosystems compared to terrestrial ecosystems.’
  • ‘These species effects are often as strong as, or stronger than, the direct effects of environment on ecosystems.’

  Synonyms

  living things, living beings, living creatures, the living

  1. 1.1(in general use) a complex network or interconnected system.
     ‘Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial ecosystem’
     More example sentences

     • ‘the entire ecosystem of film and video production will eventually go digital’
     • ‘We also need a greater understanding of corporate governance within the whole ecosystem.’
     • ‘In an economy, government laws and government programs are part of the ecosystem.’
     • ‘Perhaps the most important thing for any smartphone is the ecosystem that grows up around it.’
     • ‘Our members cannot continue to innovate and invest in the shadow of an illegal peer-to-peer ecosystem.’
     • ‘And Apple would have to compete more on features and price than the exclusive access its devices have to its online retail ecosystem.’
     • ‘But large audiences won't save an ecosystem in which costs are high and advertising has plunged.’
     • ‘This is too simple and doesn't address the complexity of the business ecosystem.’
     • ‘The ecosystem of the mobile phone is a unique economy in its own right, in which consumers merge with producers fired by something the web never had: a simple micropayments system.’
     • ‘My focus is on healthcare systems in east Africa, in particular mapping out the ecosystem for healthcare products and services for low-income consumers.’
     • ‘Security threats can come from any point in a business' ecosystem of internal and external contacts.’
     • ‘Smartbooks could take off if the software ecosystem surrounding Linux operating systems were to expand, he said.’
     • ‘Successful entrepreneurs who are willing to invest time and money to support the next generation of start-ups are a vital part of the ecosystem and very complementary to the established venture capital funds.’
     • ‘Earlier this year, in talking about the changing nature of sports reporting, one of the things we mentioned was that you shouldn't count out players themselves as a part of that ecosystem, since they could now go direct to fans themselves, without having to talk through a reporter.’
     • ‘The introduction of this and other electric vehicles will require a vast ecosystem of entrepreneurial businesses.’
     • ‘In their ecosystem - the one that drives 85% + of all search traffic on the web - there are guidelines, best practices, rules and regulations.’