Ecosystem theory, with a rich history spanning more than three decades, offers a cohesive and integrated perspective for examining challenges related to firms, markets, and their intricate interdependencies. Despite the significant development and proliferation of numerous articles in this field, comprehensive understanding remains limited regarding the established theories, the fully matured evolutionary pathways, and the emerging trajectories—particularly in terms of clearly delineating boundaries between matured theories or illuminating the interconnections among them. This research systematically investigates publications in the ecosystem domain over a 31-year period, employing bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review method, enhanced by the Main Path Analysis. Initially, data from 5,119 relevant articles were extracted from a major academic database. Following rigorous refinement and visualization using specialized software, the evolutionary pathways of ecosystem literature were identified. The primary extracted pathways include innovation ecosystems, platforms, service ecosystems, intra-ecosystem mechanisms, digitalization, and ecosystem theories. The platform evolutionary path, as the most prevalent and widespread topic, has prominently shaped the dominant stream within ecosystem theory.