mesocosm

English

Etymology

From meso- +‎ -cosm.

Pronunciation

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Noun

mesocosm (plural mesocosms)

  1. Any system larger than a microcosm but smaller than a macrocosm, especially when used as an outdoor experimental system that examines the natural environment under controlled conditions.
    • 2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, chapter 7, in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Henry Holt and Company:
      Researchers from the University of Queensland were building an elaborate Plexiglas mesocosm that was going to allow them to manipulate COâ‚‚ levels on a patch of reef, even as it allowed the various creatures that depend on the reef to swim in and out.
    • 2026 January 30 (last accessed), Jonathan Shurin, UC San Diego School of Biological Sciences‎[1], archived from the original on 30 January 2026:
      My lab studies the connections between population, community and ecosystem ecology in aquatic environments. We are particularly interested in the flow of energy between trophic levels, the impact of consumers on their resources, and the control of species diversity. We use broad geographic comparisons, mesocosm experiments and theory to address these questions. My students have worked in communities of freshwater plankton, marine fishes and intertidal algae and invertebrates.

Usage notes

  • Used especially of medium-sized biological communities.

Further reading

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