ecosystem

/ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈē-kō-ˌsi-stəm ˈe-kō-/ (ame, mw)

ecosystem — 名詞

  • ecosystemsingular
  • ecosystemsplural

1. A natural system in which every plant, animal, and microbe living in a shared re

1.名詞B2
釋義

生態系統

特定區域內生物與環境互動的整體

A natural system in which every plant, animal, and microbe living in a shared region interacts with its non-living surroundings — such as water, soil, and climate — in ways that maintain the balance and health of the whole.

例句

The coastal ecosystem along Oregon's shoreline supports hundreds of bird, fish, and plant species.

奧勒岡州沿岸的生態系統養活了數百種鳥類、魚類和植物。

collocation: coastal ecosystem

Deforestation in the Amazon threatens an ecosystem that took thousands of years to form.

亞馬遜雨林的砍伐威脅著一個歷經數千年才形成的生態系統。

collocation: threaten + ecosystem (fragile entity)

同義詞
  • biome

    much larger in scale, such as a desert or tundra biome, whereas an ecosystem can be small

  • environment

    broader and less precise; environment includes non-living factors but does not emphasize interactions between species

  • habitat

    focuses on where a single species lives, not the full web of relationships

文法句型

ecosystem + verb

adjective + ecosystem

ecosystem of + noun

用法筆記

Often used with adjectives describing the type of environment (marine, forest, urban, coastal) or the condition of the system (fragile, healthy, damaged, thriving). In scientific writing, the term emphasizes interdependence between living things and their physical surroundings.

常見錯誤

❌The forest's ecosystem is home to this bird species.
✅The forest habitat is home to this bird species.
💡'ecosystem' refers to the whole system of interactions, not just a place where something lives; use 'habitat' for a species' home.

2. A complex group of interconnected companies, products, services, or users that d

2.名詞C1
釋義

生態圈；體系

科技或商業領域中互相關聯的複雜系統

A complex group of interconnected companies, products, services, or users that depend on and influence one another, often describing the environment created by a technology platform or a business network where different parts work together as a whole.

例句

The Android ecosystem includes phone makers, app developers, and users around the world.

Android 的生態系統涵蓋全球的手機製造商、應用程式開發者和使用者。

collocation: [platform name] ecosystem

New digital payment apps are creating a financial ecosystem that reaches people without bank accounts.

新的數位支付應用程式正在建立一個觸及沒有銀行帳戶民眾的金融生態圈。

collocation: financial ecosystem

同義詞
  • network

    simpler and less suggestive of interdependence; a network can be purely structural

  • platform

    focuses on the central technology that others build on, rather than the whole web of relationships

  • environment

    more general; lacks the connotation of mutual dependence and growth

文法句型

adjective + ecosystem

ecosystem of + noun

possessive + ecosystem

用法筆記

Very common in technology and business journalism. The metaphor compares a network of independent but connected players to a natural biological system. Often found in phrases like "startup ecosystem," "digital ecosystem," or "developer ecosystem."

常見錯誤

❌The company built a new software ecosystem from scratch.
✅The company built a new software platform from scratch.
💡'ecosystem' implies many independent participants interacting, not a single product built by one company.