What is the primary purpose of an ecosystem?

The primary purpose of an ecosystem is to support and maintain the interactions between living organisms and their environment. Ecosystems consist of communities of organisms that interact with each other and their physical surroundings, such as soil, water, and climate. This intricate network facilitates processes like nutrient cycling, energy flow, and habitat provision, which are essential for the survival of diverse life forms. By fostering these interactions, ecosystems ensure that fundamental life-supporting processes occur, creating a balanced environment that enables species to thrive.

While creating artificial habitats for human enjoyment can be a goal of some human-made environments, it is not the primary function of natural ecosystems. Likewise, though ecosystems can have a role in regulating atmospheric conditions, that is more of a result of their complexity rather than their main purpose. Additionally, while conservation and waste minimization are important aspects of sustainability within ecosystems, they do not encapsulate the primary purpose of an ecosystem, which is fundamentally about the interrelationships among organisms and between organisms and their environment.