Biodiversity
Pronunciation: /ˌbaɪoʊdaɪˈvɜːrsəti/ · Category: biodiversity
Definition: The variety of life at every level — genes, species and ecosystems — in a particular place or across the whole planet.
In simple words: All the different kinds of living things, and the differences between them.
More about biodiversity
Biodiversity is usually described at three levels: genetic diversity (variation within a species), species diversity (the number and variety of species) and ecosystem diversity (the variety of habitats and communities).
The Convention on Biological Diversity defines biological diversity as the variability among living organisms from all sources, including diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems.
Origin of the term
A contraction of “biological diversity”. The shorter form became widely used from the mid-1980s.
Also called: Biological diversity
Examples in Biosphere habitats
Read more
- IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
- Convention on Biological Diversity