Final answer:
The correct answer is c) Environment, which represents all external conditions affecting an ecosystem, providing inputs like nutrients and receiving outputs such as waste.
Step-by-step explanation:
An ecosystem is a community of living organisms and their interactions with their abiotic (non-living) environment. Ecosystems can be small, such as a single tree or a tide pool, or large, like the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. An ecosystem includes all the biotic and abiotic factors in an area and their interactions.
The term 'environment' in this context broadly refers to all external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of organisms, which could include other ecosystems, as well as physical conditions like climate and geography. The environment influences the ecosystem by providing necessary inputs like sunlight, water, and nutrients, and receives outputs from the ecosystem like oxygen and waste products.