biodiversity: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 6, 2026

News •

Twice as many plants and animals sold in wildlife trade as previously thought, says report • Oct. 30, 2026, 2:00 PM ET (The Guardian)

Rising sea levels are threatening biodiversity • Oct. 22, 2026, 10:00 PM ET (Toronto Star)

Viral Deep-Sea Expedition Found a Real-Life Patrick From SpongeBob, And 57 New Species • Oct. 19, 2026, 6:01 PM ET (ScienceAlert)

Scientists Discover Nature Has Far Fewer Backup Plans Than We Thought • Oct. 16, 2026, 6:55 AM ET (SciTechDaily)

Facts

Also Known As	biological diversity • species diversity

Photos and Videos

Illustration showing four ways to measure biodiversity: species richness, genetic diversity, endemic species, and ecosystem diversity, using a landscape with varied habitats, marked species, and unique ecosystems.

Morning Glory Pool in Yellowstone National Park, a vibrant hot spring with blue-green and yellow colors caused by cyanobacteria, surrounded by forest and a wooden walkway.

Silversword plant with spiky, silvery leaves growing on rocky soil at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, with dry grass and mountains in the background.

Diagram illustrating the main drivers of biodiversity loss, with arrows pointing from habitat loss, invasive species, overexploitation, pollution, and climate change toward a section labeled biodiversity loss, alongside influencers such as human population growth and increased consumption.

World map highlighting Earth's terrestrial biodiversity hot spots in red, showing regions with exceptionally high levels of species richness and endemism. These hot spots are distributed across parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Mediterranean basin, Africa, Madagascar, South and Southeast Asia, and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as select areas in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

What is biodiversity, and why is it important?

Why are rainforests so important?

How is biodiversity good for the economy?

Explore with German biologist Matthias Kopfmüller and his team to document one of the world's rich biodiversity in the waters off Indonesia

The unique animal life of the Galapagos Islands

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Topics

Climate change biodiversity loss relative abundance hot spot species abundance species richness conservation species Why are rainforests so important?Speciation trophic pyramid Biogeochemical cycle keystone species guild ecotone biotic potential niche indicator species population biogeographic region

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