biodiversity

[ bahy-oh-di-vur-si-tee, ‑dahy‑ ]

noun

1. biological diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment:

   Coral reefs are not just havens for marine biodiversity, they also underpin the economies of many coastal communities.

   Spiraling extinctions will continue diminishing biodiversity for hundreds of years.

biodiversity

/ ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environments, which is the aim of conservationists concerned about the indiscriminate destruction of rainforests and other habitats

biodiversity

/ bī′ō-dĭ-vûr′sĭ-tē /

1. The number, variety, and genetic variation of different organisms found within a specified geographic region.

biodiversity

1. A term that describes the number of different species that live within a particular ecosystem .

Notes

The preservation of biodiversity is considered by environmentalists to be a major goal of environmental policy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of biodiversity¹

An Americanism first recorded in 1985–90; bio(logical) ( def ) + diversity ( def )

Example Sentences

Oil palms are tropical trees and thrive in rainforests, some of the regions on Earth with the highest biodiversity.

From The Daily Beast

The forests, with their mind-boggling biodiversity, are a staggering 10,000 times older than those of North America and Europe.

From The Daily Beast

Now the Endangered Species Act (which passed the House 355-4 in 1973) enshrines a national commitment to biodiversity.

From The Daily Beast

“It is an opportunity to show off our extraordinary biodiversity resources in this country,” says Farinetti.

From The Daily Beast

This book is dense with both thought and fact, but no one will mistake it for an article in the journal Biodiversity.

From The Daily Beast