Meaning & use
biodiversity
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablebiology
The range of different living things found in a particular place, or on Earth as a whole, including species, genes and habitats.
Grammar: Uncountable: biodiversity is declining, never a biodiversity or biodiversities in everyday use.
Patterns
- the biodiversity of a place
- loss of biodiversity
- protect biodiversity
Coral reefs have some of the highest biodiversity of any ecosystem on Earth.
Farmers who plant hedgerows can increase biodiversity on their land.
Scientists warn that biodiversity is falling as forests are cleared.
noununcountabletechnical
The variety of genetic differences within one species, which helps it adapt and survive.
Grammar: Often called genetic diversity and used with within: biodiversity within a species.
Patterns
- biodiversity within a species
Low biodiversity within a crop makes the whole harvest vulnerable to disease.
Seed banks protect the genetic biodiversity of wild wheat.
The cheetah's low biodiversity puts the species at risk.
Common combinations
- loss of biodiversity
- Habitat destruction is the main cause of biodiversity loss.
- protect biodiversity
- National parks help protect biodiversity.
- rich in biodiversity
- The Amazon basin is rich in biodiversity.
- marine biodiversity
- Overfishing threatens marine biodiversity.
- biodiversity hotspot
- Madagascar is a famous biodiversity hotspot.
- boost biodiversity
- Wildflower meadows boost biodiversity in cities.
Synonyms and how they differ
- biological diversity
- Biological diversity is the full phrase from which biodiversity is shortened, and it is used in formal reports.
- variety of life
- Variety of life is a plain-English way to say the same thing, but it is less precise than biodiversity.
- species richness
- Species richness counts only the number of species present, whereas biodiversity also includes genes and ecosystems.
- ecosystem
- An ecosystem is a community of living things with their environment, while biodiversity is the variety found within it.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: biodiversity or biomass?
biodiversity vs biomass
Biomass is the total weight of living material in an area, whereas biodiversity is about how many different kinds there are.
Practice
A forest with hundreds of different tree, insect and bird species has high ___, even if it contains fewer animals overall than a single large farm.
Choose one answer.
Biodiversity measures the variety of life, not the quantity. Biomass is the tempting wrong answer because it measures weight of living material, not how varied it is.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “biodiversity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.