ecosystem

Pronunciation:			'ekow`sistum
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Matching Terms:			ecosystem altering, ecosystem dynamics, ecosystem function, ecosystem structure
WordNet Dictionary
	Definition:		[n]  a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment
	See Also:		system
Biology Dictionary
	Definition:		An ecosystem is the dynamic and interrelating complex of plant and animal communities and their associated non-living environment. The physical and climactic features and all the living and dead organisms in an area that are interrelated in the transfer of energy and material. An interacting complex of a community and its environment functioning as an ecological unit in nature. Differs from "system" in being a more rigorous definition that encompasses and requires assumptions of energetics, ecological interactions, species adaptations and so forth.
	Synonyms:		ecological system, holocoen
Glossary
	Definition:		The organisms in a plant population and the biotic and abiotic factors which impact on them. See abiotic factors, Biotic factors a group of organisms with specific relationships between themselves and a particular environment.