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biodiversity
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & 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.
What is biodiversity, and why is it important?
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.
Why are rainforests so important?
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.
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
At a Glance
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biodiversity summary
Quizzes
Pollination. Bee collecting pollen & nectar from a flower. Plant insect
Biodiversity Loss
Related Questions

biodiversity: References & Edit History

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Add new Web site: Raider Digital Publishing - Introductory Biology 2 - Ecology and Biodiversity. Nov 01, 2026
Add new Web site: Natural Resources Defence Council - Biodiversity 101. Jun 29, 2026
Add new Web site: The Royal Society Publishing - Proceedings B - Biodiversity and human well-being: an essential link for sustainable development. Apr 04, 2026
Add new Web site: Academia - Biodiversity, Definition of (PDF). Jul 08, 2025
Add new Web site: CiteSeerX - Biotechnology and Agrobiodiversity. Apr 14, 2025
Questions and answers added. Mar 17, 2025
Noted that the number of species decreases as one moves further away from the Equator and toward each pole. Feb 19, 2025
Add new Web site: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Forest fire and biological diversity. Aug 30, 2024
Media added. May 22, 2024
Links added. Jun 01, 2023
Add new Web site: WWF - What is biodiversity? May 11, 2023
Add new Web site: United Nations - Biodiversity - our strongest natural defense against climate change. Feb 15, 2023
Add new Web site: Openstax - Concepts of Biology - Importance of Biodiversity. Dec 21, 2022
Add new Web site: National Center for Biotechnology Information - What is Biodiversity? Sep 19, 2022
Add new Web site: World Health Organization - Biodiversity. Mar 08, 2022
Add new Web site: American Museum of Natural History - What is Biodiversity? Sep 14, 2021
Removed media. Jul 26, 2021
Media added. Oct 05, 2020
Add new Web site: National Wildlife Foundation - Biodiversity. Jul 09, 2019
Added diagrams showing four measures of biodiversity and drivers of biodiversity loss. Jun 15, 2019
Article revised and updated. Jun 15, 2019
Added a map that shows Earth's biological hot spots. Apr 09, 2018
Noted the importance of identifying and protecting biological hot spots and other examples of United Nation's awareness campaigns that consider biodiversity. Apr 09, 2018
Added photographs of Yellowstone's Morning Glory Pool and the Ka'u silversword (Argyroxiphium kauense). Apr 09, 2018
Add new Web site: The Kid Should See This - Why is Biodiversity So Important? Sep 15, 2017
Add new Web site: EcoFriendlyKids - Biodiversity and Nature. Sep 11, 2017
Add new Web site: National Geographic - Biodiversity. Mar 28, 2017
Media added. Feb 10, 2017
Added video. Aug 11, 2015
Added video. May 12, 2015
Add new Web site: World Wide fund Global - Biodiversity. Jun 09, 2014
Add new Web site: The Natural History Museum - Biodiversity. Oct 02, 2013
Add new Web site: Australian Museum - What is biodiversity? Oct 02, 2013
Add new Web site: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Biodiversity. Oct 02, 2013
Add new Web site: Buzzle.com - Biodiversity. Oct 02, 2013
Add new Web site: National Park Service - Biodiversity. May 21, 2013
Add new Web site: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Biodiversity. May 21, 2013
Added text noting that 1.9 million species have been described. Aug 17, 2010
New text mentioning the year 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity added. Jan 11, 2010
New article added. Apr 06, 2007
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