biodiversity

noun

bio·di·ver·si·ty ˌbī-(ˌ)ō-də-ˈvər-sə-tē

-dī-

: biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals

biodiverse

ˌbī-(ˌ)ō-dī-ˈvərs

-də-

adjective

Did you know?

Biodiversity may become the rallying call for the next decade, wrote David Wake in the journal Science in 1989. Indeed, biodiversity is a word you're likely to encounter in writing about ecology and the environment today. But when Wake used it, "biodiversity" was still a relatively new addition to the English language, having first appeared in writing in the mid-1980s. Of course, the roots of biodiversity are much older. It evolved from a commingling of the descendants of the Greek noun bios, which means "mode of life," and the Latin verb divertere, which means "to turn aside" or "to go different ways."

Examples of biodiversity in a Sentence

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As Down to Earth enters its fourth year, the urgency surrounding the global biodiversity crisis has never been more apparent. —

Paige Vega, Vox, 21 Jan. 2025 Thousands of miles away, in Madagascar, a nation celebrated for its biodiversity— yet vulnerable to climate change— agriculture sustains over 80% of the population. —

Daphne Ewing-Chow, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025 However, there are concerns about biodiversity loss linked to forestry. —

Maddy Savage, TIME, 18 Jan. 2025 This section of reef — categorized as coral reefs at depths between 100 and 500 feet — provides safety and refuge to creatures not found closer to the surface, and holds a wealth of undiscovered biodiversity. —

Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for biodiversity