biological diversity

IPA/ˌbaɪəˌlɒdʒɪkl daɪˈvɜːsəti/
IPA/ˌbaɪəˌlɑːdʒɪkl daɪˈvɜːrsəti/

biological diversity — noun

1. the wide range of plants, animals, and other living things found in a place, whi

1.nounC1
Definition

the wide range of plants, animals, and other living things found in a place, which together keep nature healthy and in balance

Example

The rainforest in Borneo holds rich biological diversity, from tiny frogs to colourful birds.

rich biological diversity + range from X to Y

Cutting down old forests slowly destroys biological diversity built over millions of years.

verb + biological diversity: destroy / lose

Common collocations
  • rich biological diversity
  • high biological diversity
  • loss of biological diversity
  • protect biological diversity
Synonyms
  • biodiversity

    the shorter, far more common everyday and scientific term for the same idea

  • species richness

    narrower — counts how many species live in an area, not the broader variety of life

  • variety of life

    plain-English paraphrase used in general writing rather than in science

Antonyms
  • monoculture

    land with only one species, the opposite of varied living things

Grammar Patterns

biological diversity of + [habitat or region]

Usage Note

Usually uncountable and often followed by 'of' plus a habitat or region (the biological diversity of the reef). Frequently paired with adjectives like 'rich', 'high', or 'great', and with verbs of loss or protection.

Common Mistakes

There are many biological diversities in the jungle.
There is great biological diversity in the jungle.
it is an uncountable noun, so it takes no plural and no 'a'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three point to the range of living things in a place, but they differ in register and scope. 'Biological diversity' is the full, slightly formal term, common in science reports, law, and policy documents such as international treaties. 'Biodiversity' is simply its shortened form; it is now the everyday word you see in newspapers, school books, and casual talk, so most speakers reach for it first. 'Species richness' is the narrowest of the three: it counts only how many different species share a habitat, ignoring how evenly they are spread or how their genes vary. 'Variety of life' is the plainest phrase, handy when writing for general readers who may not know the technical words. For example, a UN report might title a chapter 'Protecting Biological Diversity', a magazine would say 'biodiversity', and a survey might note 'high species richness on the reef'.

biodiversity ↗species richnessvariety of life

Common collocations

Nouns

  • biological diversity hotspot

Phrases

  • loss of biological diversity
  • conservation of biological diversity
  • rich in biological diversity

Prepositions

  • biological diversity of
  • biological diversity in

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The phrase joins two older words. 'Biological' grows from Greek 'bios', meaning life, plus '-logy', the study of something, and reached English through the science of biology. 'Diversity' comes from Latin 'diversus', literally turned in different directions, and entered English from Old French in the late Middle Ages. Scientists combined them in the second half of the twentieth century to name the full spread of life on Earth; the snappier blend 'biodiversity' appeared in the 1980s and soon overtook the longer form in everyday use.