ecosystemintricacy
nounUK /ˈiːkəʊsɪstəm ˈɪntrɪkəsi/
US /ˈiːkoʊsɪstəm ˈɪntrɪkəsi/
The way all the plants, animals, and tiny living things in a place fit together in a complicated way.
The ecosystemintricacy of the rainforest makes it hard to know what will happen if one kind of frog disappears.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The delicate web of relationships that keeps a natural community healthy.
Scientists study ecosystemintricacy to understand how pollution spreads through a lake.
3. The many small, connected details that make a natural system work.
A single fallen log shows ecosystemintricacy, feeding beetles, fungi, and new seedlings.
4. The difficulty of predicting what happens when one part of nature changes.
Because of ecosystemintricacy, removing one predator can change the whole meadow.