biodiversity

/baɪoʊdɪˈvʌrsɪtɪ/

/baɪəʊdaɪˈvʌsɪtɪ/

When you have a many different plants and animals living in one place, you have biodiversity. The Amazon rain forest is rich in biodiversity.

Biodiversity is a shortened form of two words: biological diversity. Biological refers to the study of life forms; diversity means "many" and "different." Construction, pollution, and climate change threaten many different species of plants and animals — these developments threaten biodiversity. Scientists know that the earth's health is related to biodiversity, and one of the main missions of the environmental movement is preserving biodiversity.

Definitions of biodiversity

1. noun

   the variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat (or in the world as a whole)
   “a high level of biodiversity is desirable”

   type of:

   diverseness, diversity, multifariousness, variety

   noticeable heterogeneity