-
Trending Now:
More Trending:
- implode ballistic transgender beleaguer scaramouch
- ALL
Definition of biodiversity
: biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals
Read the Latest from M-W
biodiversity was our Word of the Day on 04/22/2008. Hear the podcast!
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
Recent Examples of biodiversity from the Web
-
The Mediterranean is a biodiversity hotspot, home to approximately 17,000 different species despite accounting for less than 1 percent of the ocean’s surface area.
-
A study published yesterday in Current Biology suggests ocean acidification is driving a cascading set of behavioral and environmental changes that drains oceans’ biodiversity.
-
The outdoor learning space has been set up to educate visitors about local plant species and pollinators that support the local biodiversity.
-
Both are profoundly dedicated to preserving biodiversity but approach the problem from vastly different perspectives.
-
Worker productivity and biodiversity changes were also unaccounted for.
-
The study suggests that, in fact, these influences have the potential to cause profound changes in Antarctic biodiversity.
-
The study authors did not assess some other factors that carry economic costs, like damage to biodiversity, because such losses can be difficult to quantify.
-
But the challenge is how to improve Grain-for-Green for the sake of biodiversity.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'biodiversity'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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."
First Known Use of biodiversity
1985
Other Ecology Terms
BIODIVERSITY Defined for English Language Learners
biodiversity
playDefinition of biodiversity for English Language Learners
-
: the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in an environment
BIODIVERSITY Defined for Kids
biodiversity
playDefinition of biodiversity for Students
: the existence of many different kinds of plants and animals in an environment
Learn More about biodiversity
-
Spanish Central: Translation of biodiversity Nglish: Translation of biodiversity for Spanish speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up biodiversity? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!