Science
What is An ecosystem?
An ecosystem is a community of living things — plants, animals, microbes — interacting with each other and their physical environment (air, water, soil) as a connected system. Energy and nutrients flow through it.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains an ecosystem.
Key things to understand
- 1It includes living parts (organisms) and non-living parts (water, soil, climate).
- 2Energy flows from the sun → plants → animals through food chains.
- 3Nutrients cycle through and get reused.
- 4Remove one part and the whole system can be thrown off balance.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the parts of an ecosystem?
- Living things (plants, animals, microbes) and non-living factors like sunlight, water, air, and soil.
- How does energy flow in an ecosystem?
- From the sun to plants (producers), then to animals (consumers), and finally to decomposers.
- What happens if part of an ecosystem is removed?
- It can disrupt food chains and balance, sometimes harming many other species.