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...become associated with a particular approach to the study of the interactions among living organisms, an approach that concentrates on energy and material exchanges. However, it is also used more colloquially to refer to any area or grouping of organisms that can be regarded as functionally interdependent. An ecosystem in this sense can be of any size, from an isolated...

...become sufficiently numerous to support an increase in the population of predators. Their hunting success on such a grand scale may eventually lead to a fall in numbers of prey (the blue line falls after a peak) which, after a lag period, in turn leads to a fall in predator numbers, after which the cyclical pattern may be repeated. [Figure 2] Figure 2: adapted from...

...become industrialised countries (Figure 1.1), particularly the use of coal. Homes and other buildings were heated; factories and railways were powered by steam engines (Figure 1.2); mining and chemical industries developed and agriculture became more mechanised. The emergence of technological societies in the 20th century resulted in an even larger increase in energy use...