"Biodiversity" is a contraction of biological diversity.

Broadly defined, biodiversity describes the variety of form and function of life, although it is a more complex concept.

It is often conceptualised in terms of three levels of biological organisation, namely:

• genetic;
• organismal;
• and ecological.

More recent definitions also include the concept of functional diversity, which includes how organisms function within communities.

Underlying themes in the study of biodiversity include investigating:

• its magnitude and distribution;
• the methods of evaluating it;
• the factors threatening it;
• its conservation.