# Ecosystem
## MicroSim spec
- **Recommended sim type:** energy/force diagram
- **Microsimmability score:** 56/100
- **Layout:** system boundary with energy-flow arrows on the canvas plus an energy readout; sliders below.
### Parameters (tunable controls)
- `Energy input`
- `Boundary flux`
- `Temperature / state`
### What animates
Energy moves across the system boundary; the internal state and a conserved-energy readout update live as the input changes.
### Learning objective
Relate boundary exchange to changes in the system's internal state and energy balance.
## Links (Wikipedia order)
<!-- injected from _registry/childlinks/Ecosystem.json (2026-07-30T02:09:12Z) -->
`Abiogenesis` · `Abiotic_component` · `Abiotic_stress` · `Abundance_(ecology)` · `Acid_rain` · `Adansonia` · [[Adaptation]] · `Adirondack_Park` · `Aerobiology` · `Africa` · `Age_of_Earth` · `Agricultural_science` · `Agriculture` · `Agroecosystem` · `Agronomy` · `Agrostology` · [[Air_pollution]] · [[Alexander_Bogdanov]] · `Algal_bloom` · `Allee_effect` · [[Allenna_Leonard]] · `Allometry` · `Alluaudia_procera` · `Alternative_stable_state` · `Amino_acid` · `Ammonia` · `Ammonium` · [[Anatol_Rapoport]] · `Anatomy` · `Animal` · `Animal_coloration` · `Antarctica` · [[Anthony_Wilden]] · `Anthropogenic_biome` · `Anthropology` · `Anti-predator_adaptation` · `Antibiosis` · `Apex_predator` · `Aquatic_ecosystem` · `Archaea` · `Arctic_Ocean` · `Arthur_Roy_Clapham` · `Arthur_Tansley` · `Artificialization` · `Ascendency` · `Asia` · `Assembly_rules` · `Astrobiology` · `Atlantic_Ocean` · `Atmosphere_of_Earth` · `Australia_(continent)` · `Autotroph` · `Bacteria` · `Bacteriology` · `Bacteriophage` · `Bacterivore` · `Baja_California_desert` · `Balance_of_nature` · [[Barbara_J._Grosz]] · `Bark_(botany)` · `Bateman's_principle` · `Behavioral_ecology` · `BioSystems` · `Bioaccumulation` · `Biocapacity` · `Biochemistry` · `Biocoenosis` · `Biodiversity` · `Biodiversity_banking` · `Biodiversity_loss` · `Biogeochemical_cycle` · `Biogeochemistry` · `Biogeoclimatic_ecosystem_classification` · `Biogeography` · `Biogeology` · `Bioindicator` · [[Bioinformatics]] · `Biological_data_visualization` · [[Biological_engineering]] · `Biological_interaction` · `Biological_organisation` · [[Biological_system]] · `Biologist` · `Biology` · `Bioluminescence` · `Biomagnification` · `Biomass_(ecology)` · `Biome` · `Biomechanics` · `Biomedical_sciences` · `Biomolecule` · `Biophysics` · `Biosemiotics` · `Biosphere` · `Biostatistics` · `Biotechnology` · `Biotic_material` · `Biotic_stress` · `Boreal_ecosystem` · `Botany` · [[Béla_H._Bánáthy]] · [[C._West_Churchman]] · [[Calculus]] · `Camouflage` · `Canary_Islands` · `Carbohydrate` · [[Carbon]] · `Carbon_cycle` · `Carbon_dioxide` · `Carnivore` · [[Carrying_capacity]] · `Cartography` · `Cascade_effect_(ecology)` · `Cataviña` · `Cell_(biology)` · `Cell_biology` · `Cell_theory` · `Cell_wall` · `Cellular_microbiology` · `Cellular_respiration` · [[Charles_A._S._Hall]] · `Charles_Sutherland_Elton` · `Chemical_biology` · [[Chemical_element]] · [[Chemistry]] · `Chemosynthesis` · `Chemotroph` · `Chloroplast` · `Chronobiology` · [[Claude_Shannon]] · `Climate` · `Climate_change` · `Climate_system` · `Climate_variability_and_change` · `Climatology` · `Climax_community` · `Cline_(biology)` · `Cloud` · `Cognitive_biology` · `Cold_seep` · `Commensalism` · `Community_(ecology)` · `Comparative_biology` · `Competition_(biology)` · `Competitive_exclusion_principle` · [[Complex_system]] · `Computational_biology` · `Computer_cartography` · `Conservation_biology` · `Consumer-resource_model` · `Consumer_(food_chain)` · `Consumer–resource_interactions` · `Continent` · [[Control_theory]] · `Copiotroph` · `Coral_reef` · [[Coupled_human–environment_system]] · `Cross-boundary_subsidy` · `Cryobiology` · `Cyanobacteria` · [[Cybernetics]] · `Cytogenetics` · `Death` · `Decomposer` · `Decomposition` · `Deforestation` · `Deimatic_behaviour` · `Dendrology` · `Denitrification` · `Density_dependence` · `Depauperate_ecosystem` · `Dependent_territory` · `Depensation` · `Detritivore` · `Detritus` · `Developing_country` · `Developmental_biology` · `Disturbance_(ecology)` · `Dominance_(ecology)` · [[Donella_Meadows]] · [[Doubling_time]] · `Drought` · [[Earth]] · `Earth's_energy_budget` · `Earth's_magnetic_field` · `Earth's_orbit` · `Earth_Day` · `Earth_in_culture` · `Earth_science` · `Earth_symbol` · [[Earth_system_science]] · `Ecological_classification` · `Ecological_debt` · `Ecological_economics` · `Ecological_effects_of_biodiversity` · `Ecological_efficiency` · `Ecological_extinction` · `Ecological_facilitation` · [[Ecological_footprint]] · `Ecological_forecasting` · `Ecological_genetics` · `Ecological_goods_and_services` · `Ecological_indicator` · `Ecological_network` · `Ecological_niche` · `Ecological_pyramid` · `Ecological_resilience` · `Ecological_stability` · `Ecological_stoichiometry` · `Ecological_succession` · `Ecological_threshold` · `Ecological_trap` · `Ecological_yield` · [[Ecology]] · `Ecology_of_the_San_Francisco_Estuary` · `Economic_system` · `Ecopath` · `Ecoregion` · `Ecosystem-based_adaptation` · `Ecosystem-based_management` · `Ecosystem_(disambiguation)` · `Ecosystem_approach` · `Ecosystem_collapse` · `Ecosystem_diversity` · `Ecosystem_ecology` · `Ecosystem_engineer` · `Ecosystem_management` · [[Ecosystem_model]] · `Ecosystem_respiration` · `Ecosystem_structure` · `Ecosystem_valuation` · `Ecotone` · `Ecotope` · `Ecotype` · `Edge_effects` · [[Edsger_W._Dijkstra]] · [[Edward_Norton_Lorenz]] · `Effective_population_size` · `Effects_of_climate_change_on_biomes` · `Effects_of_climate_change_on_oceans` · `Embryology` · `Embryophyte` · [[Emergence]] · `Endemism` · `Endolith` · [[Energy]] · `Energy_flow_(ecology)` · `Energy_quality` · `Energy_systems_language` · `Environmental_factor` · `Environmental_humanities` · `Epidemiology` · `Epigenetics` · [[Eric_Trist]] · `Erosion` · `Eukaryote` · `Europe` · [[Evolution]] · `Evolutionary_biology` · `Evolutionary_ecology` · `Exoskeleton` · `Exosphere` · `Extinction_debt` · `Extremes_on_Earth` · `F-ratio_(oceanography)` · `F._Stuart_Chapin_III` · `Fauna` · `Feed_conversion_ratio` · `Feeding_frenzy` · `Fertilizer` · `Field_(physics)` · `Flag_of_Earth` · `Flagship_species` · `Flora` · `Food_chain` · `Food_web` · `Foraging` · `Formation_and_evolution_of_the_Solar_System` · `Fossil_fuel` · `Foster's_rule` · `Foundation_species` · [[Francisco_Varela]] · `Fred_Emery_(psychologist)` · `Freshwater_biology` · `Freshwater_ecosystem` · `Functional_ecology` · `Fungus` · `Future_of_Earth` · `G._Evelyn_Hutchinson` · `Gaia_hypothesis` · `Gambia_River` · `Generalist_and_specialist_species` · `Genetics` · [[Genomics]] · `Geobiology` · `Geodesy` · `Geodetic_astronomy` · `Geologic_record` · `Geologic_time_scale` · `Geological_history_of_Earth` · `Geology` · `Geology_of_solar_terrestrial_planets` · `Geomatics` · `Geophysical_fluid_dynamics` · `Geophysical_imaging` · `Geophysics` · `Geopositioning` · [[George_Dantzig]] · [[George_Klir]] · `Gerontology` · `Glacial_motion` · `Glacier` · `Glossary_of_biology` · `Gran_Canaria` · `Gravity_of_Earth` · `Greater_Yellowstone_Ecosystem` · `Green_world_hypothesis` · `Greenhouse_effect` · [[Gregory_Bateson]] · `Groundwater-dependent_ecosystems` · `Guild_(ecology)` · `Habitat` · `Habitat_fragmentation` · [[Health_technology]] · [[Heinz_von_Foerster]] · `Herbivore` · `Herbivore_adaptations_to_plant_defense` · `Herpetology` · `Heterotroph` · `Heterotrophic_nutrition` · `High_Peaks_Wilderness_Area` · `Histology` · `History_of_Earth` · `History_of_biology` · `History_of_life` · [[Homeostasis]] · [[Howard_T._Odum]] · `Human_biology` · `Human_evolution` · `Human_history` · `Human_impact_on_the_environment` · [[Humberto_Maturana]] · `Hydrothermal_vent` · `Hypha` · `IUCN_Red_List_of_Ecosystems` · `Ichthyology` · `Ideal_free_distribution` · [[Ilya_Prigogine]] · `Immunology` · `Index_of_biology_articles` · `Indian_Ocean` · [[Industrial_ecology]] · [[Information_system]] · `Insectivore` · `Insular_biogeography` · `Integrated_Conservation_and_Development_Project` · `Interbasin_transfer` · `Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change` · `Intergovernmental_Science-Policy_Platform_on_Biodiversity_and_Ecosystem_Services` · `Intermediate_disturbance_hypothesis` · `Internal_structure_of_Earth` · `Interspecific_competition` · `Intertidal_ecology` · `Intraguild_predation` · `Intraspecific_competition` · `Introduced_species` · `Invasive_species` · `Island` · [[James_Grier_Miller]] · [[James_J._Kay]] · [[Jay_Wright_Forrester]] · [[Jennifer_Wilby]] · [[John_Seddon]] · [[Kathleen_Carley]] · [[Katia_Sycara]] · `Kelp_forest` · `Kenneth_E._Boulding` · [[Kevin_Warwick]] · `Keystone_species` · `Kinetotroph` · `Kleiber's_law` · `Lake_ecosystem` · `Land_change_modeling` · `Landscape_ecology` · `Landscape_epidemiology` · `Landscape_limnology` · `Latitudinal_gradients_in_species_diversity` · `Leaching_(agriculture)` · `Leaf` · `Legume` · `Leuser_Ecosystem` · `Liebig's_law_of_the_minimum` · `Life` · `Lignin` · [[Limiting_factor]] · `Limiting_similarity` · `Lipidology` · `List_of_biologists` · `List_of_biology_awards` · `List_of_biology_journals` · `List_of_feeding_behaviours` · `List_of_research_methods_in_biology` · `List_of_sovereign_states` · [[List_of_systems_sciences_organizations]] · `List_of_systems_scientists` · `List_of_unsolved_problems_in_biology` · `Lithoautotroph` · `Lithotroph` · [[Living_systems]] · `Location_of_Earth` · `Loch_Lomond` · `Logistic_function` · `Long_Term_Ecological_Research_Network` · `Longleaf_pine_ecosystem` · `Lotka–Volterra_equations` · [[Ludwig_von_Bertalanffy]] · [[Lydia_Kavraki]] · `Macroecology` · `Macromolecular_assembly` · `Macromolecule` · `Madagascar` · `Magnetosphere` · `Malthusian_growth_model` · `Mammalogy` · [[Manfred_Clynes]] · [[Manuela_M._Veloso]] · [[Margaret_Boden]] · [[Margaret_Mead]] · `Marginal_value_theorem` · `Marine_biology` · `Marine_ecosystem` · `Marine_food_web` · `Marine_habitat` · `Marine_microorganisms` · `Marine_pollution` · [[Mary_Cartwright]] · `Mathematical_and_theoretical_biology` · `Matter` · `Maximum_sustainable_yield` · `Medicinal_plants` · `Mesocosm` · `Mesopredator` · `Mesopredator_release_hypothesis` · `Mesosphere` · `Mesotrophic_soil` · `Metabolic_theory_of_ecology` · `Metabolism` · `Metapopulation` · `Meteorology` · `Methane` · `Mexico` · `Microbial_cooperation` · `Microbial_ecology` · `Microbial_food_web` · `Microbial_intelligence` · `Microbial_loop` · `Microbial_mat` · `Microbial_metabolism` · `Microbiology` · `Microclimate` · `Microecosystem` · `Micronutrient` · `Microorganism` · `Microplastics` · [[Mihajlo_D._Mesarovic]] · `Mike_Jackson_(systems_scientist)` · `Millennium_Ecosystem_Assessment` · `Mimicry` · `Mineral_physics` · `Minimum_viable_population` · `Mixotroph` · `Molecular_biology` · `Montane_ecosystem` · [[Moon]] · `Moonlight` · [[Multi-agent_system]] · [[Murray_Bowen]] · `Mutualism_(biology)` · `Myco-heterotrophy` · `Mycology` · `Mycoloop` · `Mycotroph` · `Native_species` · `Natural_environment` · `Natural_resource_management` · `Nature` · `Nature-based_solutions` · `Navigation` · [[Negative_feedback]] · `Neontology` · [[Nervous_system]] · `Net_ecosystem_production` · [[Neuroscience]] · `Niche_apportionment_models` · `Niche_construction` · [[Niklas_Luhmann]] · `Niokolo-Koba_National_Park` · `Nitrate` · `Nitric_oxide` · `Nitrification` · `Nitrite` · [[Nitrogen]] · `Nitrogen_cycle` · `Nitrogen_fixation` · `Nitrous_oxide` · `Non-trophic_networks` · [[Norbert_Wiener]] · `North_America` · `North_Pacific_Gyre` · `Novel_ecosystem` · `Nutrient_cycle` · `Nutritional_science` · `Occupancy–abundance_relationship` · `Ocean` · `Ocean_acidification` · `Oceanography` · `Oligotroph` · `Omnivore` · `Ontogenetic_niche_shift` · `Open_access` · `Optimal_foraging_theory` · `Order_of_magnitude` · `Ordination_(statistics)` · `Organ_(biology)` · `Organelle` · `Organic_matter` · `Organism` · `Organotroph` · `Ornithology` · `Osteology` · `Outline_of_Earth` · `Outline_of_biology` · `Outline_of_ecology` · `Overexploitation` · `Overfishing` · `Overpopulation` · [[Oxygen]] · `Pacific_Ocean` · `Paleoclimatology` · `Paleontology` · `Paradox_of_the_plankton` · `Parasitism` · `Parasitology` · `Parent_material` · `Particle` · `Patch_dynamics` · `Pathology` · [[Peter_Senge]] · `Phage_ecology` · `Pharmacology` · `Pharming_(genetics)` · `Photobiology` · `Photoheterotroph` · `Photosynthesis` · `Photosynthetic_efficiency` · `Phototroph` · `Phycology` · `Phylogenetic_tree` · `Phylogenetics` · `Physiology` · `Planetary_science` · `Planktivore` · `Plant` · `Plant_cuticle` · `Plant_defense_against_herbivory` · `Plate_tectonics` · `Pleistocene` · `Pollination` · `Pollution` · `Pomology` · `Population_(biology)` · `Population_cycle` · [[Population_dynamics]] · `Population_ecology` · [[Population_model]] · `Population_size` · `Population_viability_analysis` · [[Positive_feedback]] · `Prebiotic_atmosphere` · `Predation` · `Prey_switching` · `Primary_nutritional_groups` · `Primary_production` · `Primary_succession` · `Primatology` · [[Principia_Cybernetica]] · `Priority_effect` · `Productivity_(ecology)` · `Prokaryote` · `Proteomics` · `Protist` · `Protistology` · `Protoplasm` · [[Qian_Xuesen]] · `Quantum_biology` · `R/K_selection_theory` · [[Radhika_Nagpal]] · `Radiation` · `Rain` · `Rainforest` · `Random_generalized_Lotka–Volterra_model` · `Rapoport's_rule` · `Raymond_Lindeman` · [[Recommender_system]] · `Recruitment_(biology)` · `Reference_ecosystem` · `Regime_shift` · `Relative_abundance_distribution` · `Relative_species_abundance` · `Renosterveld` · `Reproduction` · `Reproductive_biology` · `Resistance_(ecology)` · `Resource_(biology)` · `Resource_selection_function` · `River_ecosystem` · `Russell_L._Ackoff` · `Ruzena_Bajcsy` · `ScienceDaily` · `Scotland` · `Secondary_succession` · `Seismology` · `Semiaquatic` · `Senegal` · `Sexecology` · `Shoaling_and_schooling` · `Siberia` · [[Signal_processing]] · `Simon_A._Levin` · `Small_population_size` · `Snow` · `Social_responsibility` · `Social_system` · `Sociobiology` · [[Sociotechnical_system]] · `Soil_carbon` · `Soil_food_web` · `Soil_organic_matter` · `Soil_retrogression_and_degradation` · `Solar_System` · `Source–sink_dynamics` · `South_America` · `Southern_Ocean` · `Space` · `Spaceship_Earth` · `Spatial_biology` · [[Spatial_ecology]] · `Species_distribution` · `Species_distribution_modelling` · `Species_diversity` · `Species_homogeneity` · `Species_richness` · `Species–area_relationship` · `Springer_Science+Business_Media` · [[Stafford_Beer]] · [[Stephanie_Forrest]] · `Stephen_R._Carpenter` · `Stimulus_(physiology)` · `Storage_effect` · [[Stratosphere]] · `Structural_biology` · [[Structure]] · `Sugar` · `Sunlight` · `Sustainability` · `Sustainable_Development_Goals` · `Sustainable_development` · `Symbiosis` · `Synthetic_biology` · [[System]] · [[System_dynamics]] · `Systematics` · `Systemics` · `Systems_analysis` · `Systems_art` · [[Systems_biology]] · [[Systems_ecology]] · [[Systems_engineering]] · [[Systems_neuroscience]] · [[Systems_pharmacology]] · `Systems_philosophy` · `Systems_psychology` · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]] · `Systems_theory_in_anthropology` · [[Systems_theory_in_archaeology]] · [[Systems_theory_in_political_science]] · [[Systems_thinking]] · `Taiga` · [[Talcott_Parsons]] · `Tarangire_Ecosystem` · `Taxonomy` · `Taxonomy_(biology)` · `Temperate_grasslands,_savannas,_and_shrublands` · `Temperate_rainforest` · `Teratology` · `Terrestrial_animal` · `Terrestrial_ecosystem` · [[Theoretical_ecology]] · `Thermosphere` · `Thorson's_rule` · `Tide` · `Tide_pool` · `Time` · `Time_zone` · `Timeline_of_biology_and_organic_chemistry` · `Tissue_(biology)` · `Topography` · `Tornado` · `Tourism` · `Toxicology` · `Tritrophic_interactions_in_plant_defense` · `Trophic_cascade` · `Trophic_level` · `Trophic_mutualism` · `Trophic_state_index` · `Tropical_cyclone` · `Tropical_forest` · `Tropical_salt_pond_ecosystem` · `Troposphere` · `Tundra` · [[Twelve_leverage_points]] · `Umbrella_species` · `Unified_neutral_theory_of_biodiversity` · `Universe` · `Urban_ecology` · `Urban_ecosystem` · [[Urban_metabolism]] · `Victor_Aladjev` · `Virology` · `Virophysics` · `Virtual_globe` · `Virus` · `Vladimir_Vernadsky` · `Water_cycle` · `Water_pollution` · `Watershed_management` · [[Wayback_Machine]] · `Weather` · `Weathering` · `Welfare_biology` · `Wetland` · `Wikidata` · `Wilderness` · `Wildfire` · `Wildfire_suppression` · `Wind` · `World` · `World-systems_theory` · `World_economy` · `Xenobiology` · `Xerosere` · `Zoology`
## From the Real GENERATIVE library
*Ecosystem — placed from the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library (Engineering room). Source: Wikimedia Commons (via Wikipedia article media). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HohRiverTrail_7322.jpg).*
*Animated: Ecosystem — placed from the Real G.E.N.E.R.A.T.I.V.E. course library (Engineering room). Source: Wikimedia Commons (via Wikipedia article media). [Details & license](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:River_gambia_Niokolokoba_National_Park.gif).*
> An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system that environments and their organisms form through their interaction.[2]: 458 The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem))
<!-- REAL-GENERATIVE-MEDIA:END -->
## Media (PD/CC)
<!-- MEDIA-DEPLOY:Ecosystem/River_gambia_Niokolokoba_National_Park.gif -->
!Gif Library/Ecosystem/River gambia Niokolokoba National Park.gif
*River_gambia_Niokolokoba_National_Park.gif · Public domain*
<!-- /MEDIA-DEPLOY -->
> p5.js MicroSim stub · part of [[System]] · [Wikipedia source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem)
> Relation: subfield of System.
## Concept summary
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by organisms in interaction with their environment.: 458 The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and [[Energy|energy]] flows.
## Build checklist
- [ ] Claim it: set `status: in-progress` + `lease` + `leased_at`
- [ ] Write the child page explaining the concept (tie it back to system)
- [ ] Finalize parameter ranges and defaults
- [ ] Implement the p5.js sketch (drawing + control regions)
- [ ] Add caption + the learning objective on the page
- [ ] Set `status: done`
## p5.js sketch
```javascript
// MicroSim: Ecosystem
let controls = {};
function setup() {
// createCanvas(...); create sliders for the parameters above.
}
function draw() {
// background(...); read controls; render energy/force diagram; respond live.
}
```
---
Back to [[System]] · Wikipedia: [Ecosystem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem)
---
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:START -->
## Semiotic profile
> *The semiotic universals this article invokes, machine-derived from the crossref — **unverified** (born so). Populated 2026-07-06 for the Systems room.*
**Universals (8):** 🟢 energy (11) · 🟡 system (10) · 🟢 flow (2) · 🟢 conservation (1) · 🟢 cycle (1) · 🟢 flux (1) · 🟢 temperature heat (1) · 🟢 tradeoff balance (1)
**Enter by sign:** Systems Semiotic Gateway · Alphabetum · Icon Registry · ← Systems Portal
<!-- SEMIOTIC-PROFILE:END -->
<!-- REAL-GENERATIVE-MEDIA:START -->
## Wikipedia : Wikitube
**Strict pair:** [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem) : [Wikitube](https://en.wikitube.io/wiki/Ecosystem)
## Previous hub tags
Tree parents: [[Complex_system]] · [[Control_theory]] · [[Cybernetics]] · [[Feedback]] · [[Operations_research]] · [[Reliability_engineering]] · [[Self-organization]] · [[System_dynamics]] · [[Systems_engineering]] · [[Systems_science]] · [[Systems_theory]].
Legacy hubs: none.
---
*Sources: 1 legacy note. Minted wave 1, 2026-07-30 (v1.6 order).*