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The term ecosystem was originally championed by British Scientist, Arthur Tansley, to describe an integrated system of living and non-living elements which make up a self sustaining environment. From puddle to planet ecosystems exist all around us.
A beehive for instance is a good example, bees live in colonies and depend upon each other for survival. Bees collect pollen from plants to make their food and in turn insure the survival of these plant species by pollinating them.
Man made environments, such as terrariums and biospheres are also working examples of ecosystems. Everything gives and takes within an ecosystem. The constant flow of energy from one member to another is the cornerstone of the ecosystem. It is through this model that equilibrium within the system is reached.
The term ecosystem can be applied to the smallest of the small, funneling outward to larger environments which contain as their parts many ecosystems. This term is often applied to business and industry models. Since everything in an ecosystem contributes, the health of it’s components is as important as the health of the whole.
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