The word ecosystem is increasingly used to describe the interactions and inter-dependencies of interrelated systems. , but it may not be clear to everyone what the term means, how it is defined, or what its essential attributes are.

An ecosystem must share a common schemata, the basic element of cognitive structure. Knowledge in both individual and organizational memory is represented through such symbols, and we use these symbols as placeholders to organize our experience within a particular environment. Schemata are thus bodies of knowledge that are relevant to a limited domain, and are ideally defined by pointing to  references to other schemata.

To understand how critical such framing is, consider the following text which researchers Bransford & Johnson provided the following script to two different test groups:

The procedure is actually quite simple. First you arrange items into different groups. Of course, one pile may be sufficient depending on how much there is to do. If you have to go somewhere else due to lack of facilities that is the next step; otherwise, you are pretty much set. It is important not to overdo things. That is, it is better to do too few things at once than too many. In the short run this may not seem important but complications can easily arise. A mistake can be expensive as well. At first, the whole procedure will seem complicated. Soon, however, it will become just another facet of life. It is difficult to foresee any end to the necessity for this task in the immediate future., but then, one never can tell. After the procedure is completed one arranges the materials into different groups again. Then they can be put into their appropriate places. Eventually they will be used once more and the whole cycle will then have to be repeated. However, that is part of life.

One test group had no priming of context, and just was confused by the entire writing. The other group was given the simple prompt, 'Washing Clothes', and was able to understand the above entirely.

Ecosystems in software intensive systems are similar to those in biological systems- the expanded environment which the system (or organism) uses to sustain itself and allow products to be produced over time. Within the mobile platform Android, for example, the platform's ecosystem includes the tools that are recommended to do application development, the community of practice which performs this development, the nutrients that capture and distributes required nutrients (ideas and information), the forces which shape the ecosystem over time, and the mechanisms which establish and sustain growth over time. The idea behind the concept of ecosystems is that each of these elements contributes to the health of the system overall. No single element coordinates how individual elements interact over time, yet all of the elements collectively determine.  the system design must clearly provide stable interfaces to enable each of these elements to function and interoperate properly.

Consider two different types of business relationships. Under a subcontracting model, a single business subcontracts out component design and production, in a prime-subordinate relationship. Under a partnering model,