Biodiversity
noun /ˌbaɪ.əʊ.daɪˈvɜː.sɪ.ti/ — The variety of life in a habitat; diversity of species and ecosystems.
Definition
The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat — often used as a measure of the health of a biological system. High biodiversity indicates resilience; monocultures are vulnerable. Biodiversity is life's insurance policy.
Beyond the definition
Biodiversity is why silence in a forest is a warning sign. A healthy forest is loud — with insects, birds, rustling. The silent forest has lost something. Diversity is what makes a system resilient.
Origin & history
Greek: 'bios' (life) + Latin: 'diversitas' (variety). The term was popularised in the 1980s as environmentalists sought language to describe what was being lost to habitat destruction.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The old-growth forest had extraordinary biodiversity — thousands of species dependent on each other.
Monoculture farming has devastated biodiversity in agricultural land across Europe.
Biodiversity in organisations, as in ecosystems, makes systems more robust and adaptive.
How to use it
This entry uses a noun. Follow the examples for articles and singular or plural forms; not every noun takes “a” or “an.”
Choose “Biodiversity” when the meaning fits your context: The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat — often used as a measure of the health of a biological system. High biodiversity indicates resilience; monocultures are vulnerable. Biodiversity is life's insurance policy.
Synonyms
species diversity, ecological variety, biotic richness
Antonyms
monoculture, uniformity
Related words
Biodiversity vs ecology
Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment. Biodiversity refers to the actual variety of life within that system.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Interconnected Woodland Life and Moss
A vibrant, dense woodland floor scene where sunlight filters onto moss, small insects, and diverse plants, illustrating a teeming, complex biological community.
The variety of insects, plants, and moss in this woodland serves as a measure of biodiversity. The complexity of these small life forms interacting together proves the health and resilience of the habitat, showing that life's insurance policy is found in its varied and integrated components.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration
Questions about this word
What does "Biodiversity" mean?
Biodiversity is noun meaning: The variety of life in a habitat; diversity of species and ecosystems.. The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat — often used as a measure of the health of a biological system. High biodiversity indicates resilience; monocultures are vulnerable. Biodiversity is life's insurance policy.
Where does the word "Biodiversity" come from?
Greek: 'bios' (life) + Latin: 'diversitas' (variety). The term was popularised in the 1980s as environmentalists sought language to describe what was being lost to habitat destruction.