What is an Ecosystem?

• “Ecosystem” term was first coined by A.G. Tansely, in the year 1935. In simple terms, it is a community of living and non-living things that work together.
• The living and non-living things continuously exchange materials and energy between them. It forms the structural and functional unit of the biosphere (sphere of life).
• Ecosystem varies greatly in size. It can be as small as a pond or as large as a forest or sea.

Important Associated Concepts:

Habitat: The environment in which a particular organism lives is called its habitat.

• All the populations living in the same place at the same time interact, forming a community. Such community also interacts with the non-living world around it, thus forming an ecosystem. Therefore, habitat is a part of the ecosystem.

Ecological Niche: The role and functional position of an organism within an ecosystem is called Ecological niche. Ecological Niche is species specific- No two species can have exact same niche.

• A niche includes: the role the species plays (e.g. A pollinator, a decomposer), the food it eats, where it lives, where it reproduces and its interactions with other species.

Ecotone: Ecotone is a junction or boundary between two or more diverse ecosystems. For example, where the land (terrestrial system) meets sea (aquatic system), and there is a wetland having mangroves. They are ecotones.

Source: ForumIAS