An ecosystem is a community of living things—like plants, animals, and tiny microbes—interacting with each other and with their environment. Ecosystems can be as big as a forest or as small as a puddle!
All of these work together to create a balanced system where each part depends on the others.
You can observe ecosystems right in your own backyard or local park. Watch how ants build their homes, or see how birds use trees for shelter.
Ecosystems provide us with food, clean air, and water. They help control the climate and even decompose waste!
A pond is home to fish, frogs, plants, and insects, all interacting together.
A fallen log in the forest provides shelter for bugs, fungi, and small animals.
Ecosystems are communities where living and nonliving things interact and depend on each other.