Ecosystem

First proposed by the British ecologist A.G. Tansley in 1935. A functional unit and a dynamic system. It signifies the interaction between community and abiotic components such as matter and energy. It is a combination of all the living and non-living elements of an area. Ecosystems are the smallest level of organization in nature that incorporates both living and nonliving factors. It can be thought of as an assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a loose unit. That is, a dynamic and complex whole, interacting as an "ecological unit."