An ecosystem is a functional ecological unit comprising a community of interacting organisms—plants, animals, and microorganisms—together with the abiotic environment of soil, water, air, sunlight, and nutrients with which they exchange energy and matter. Ecosystems are structured by energy flow through trophic leve…
An ecosystem is a functional ecological unit comprising a community of interacting organisms—plants, animals, and microorganisms—together with the abiotic environment of soil, water, air, sunlight, and nutrients with which they exchange energy and matter. Ecosystems are structured by energy flow through trophic levels in food webs and by biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other elements, processes that sustain productivity and regulate the environment. They deliver ecosystem services including primary production, nutrient cycling, water regulation, and the maintenance of biodiversity, and they range from terrestrial forests and wetlands to freshwater and marine systems. Ecosystem dynamics are shaped by climate, disturbance, species interactions, and human activity, and are increasingly stressed by climate change, land-use change, and anthropogenic pressures, making conservation, fisheries management, and biodiversity assessment central concerns. Research relevant to this area examines soil respiration responses to precipitation pulses in temperate forest, approaches to fisheries management, migration status and anthropogenic threats to wildlife from an ecotourism perspective, the impact of environmental factors on insect biodiversity, krill-to-whale pelagic food-web connections along seamounts, interspecific predation in agricultural ecosystems, and the distribution of protected areas and large mammals. This peer-reviewed literature reflects the structure, energy flow, biodiversity, and conservation dimensions of ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine settings, situating ecosystem science within the broader study of Plant and Animal Ecology.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 9 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Ecosystems, linking to each citing work.