i.2. Environment: Definitions, Ecosystem Dynamics and Historical Significance: l
- Definition: The sum total of all biotic (related to living beings) and abiotic (related to non-living) factors, substances and conditions that surround and potentially influence organisms without becoming their constituent part.
- Ecosystem: It is a structural and functional unit of the biosphere consisting of living beings and their physical environment and the interaction among them.
Term ‘Ecosystem’ was coined by A.G. Tansley in 1935.