closed ecosystem
Sealed jar biosphere
A closed ecosystem is an environment that exchanges no matter with its surroundings—everything needed for life cycles within the system.
Energy (usually light) enters, but no physical materials pass in or out.
A sealed terrarium approximates this: plants produce oxygen, decomposers recycle waste, water condenses and falls again.
Earth itself is nearly a closed ecosystem, receiving only sunlight and occasional meteorites.
The term appears in discussions of space travel, where spacecraft must recycle air, water, and waste indefinitely.
- biosphereAll life on Earth
- terrariumGlass-walled growing enclosure
- self-sustainingAble to continue independently
- sealedClosed to prevent entry
- aquariumTank for keeping fish
vivarium · biodome · microcosm · oxygen · carbon cycle · photosynthesis · decomposers · food web · algae · bacteria · balance · equilibrium · contained · glass jar · bottle garden · life support · recycling · nutrients
- future habitatsarcology, biodome, domed city, space station, lunar colony
- space coloniesmoon base, lunar colony, lunar base, space station, space habitat