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🌍 All life on Earth 🪴 A closed habitat
ecosphere

ecosphere

7.6
A small sealed container that holds plants and animals and keeps them alive
  • noun
  • /ˈiːkəˌsfɪr/
translation icon : ecosfera
  • Many families enjoy observing the tiny shrimp and plants in their ecosphere as it thrives in its sealed environment.

Examples

  • These do not only include the residing-breathing pets such as dogs, cats, hamsters, or the like, but also such possibilities as Furby, which is an electronic pet, the famous Pet Rock that was the craze in the 1970s in the US, an ant farm, or the EcoSphere ball with its shrimp and bacteria.

    Blog text (16)

  • The teacher used an ecosphere in class to demonstrate how a self-sustaining environment works.

  • An ecosphere can be a fascinating addition to a classroom, showing students the balance of life within a contained habitat.

Synonyms

ecosystem
vsecosphere
  • Specialized
98 3.4

A community of living things and the environment that work together

is a small sealed display or teaching environment not a broad natural system
microsystem
vsecosphere
  • Specialized
7.1

A small habitat, like a drop of pond water, that supports tiny plants and animals

is sealed and self-sustaining rather than being open

How Self-Sustaining

biosphere
31 5.3
ecosphere
7.6
terrarium
6 6.5
pot plant
  • UK
1 2.8

Surface Forms

ecosphere singular
ecosystems plural

Morphology

ecosphere = sphere (semi-transparent) = eco + sphere

The components 'eco-' (relating to ecology) + 'sphere' are clear, but the specific specialized sense 'a small sealed self-sustaining environment' is a narrow, technical usage not immediately inferable by all learners.

Etymology

Ecosphere combines eco- meaning 'home' and -sphere meaning 'ball' or 'area', like the -sphere in atmosphere. Think of a small 'home in a glass ball' where plants and animals keep each other alive, which is why an ecosphere is a sealed, self-sustaining environment.