What does biodiversity refer to?

Biodiversity refers to the variety of life in the world or within a specific habitat or ecosystem. It encompasses the different species of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, as well as the genetic diversity among those species and the ecosystems they form. Understanding biodiversity is crucial for assessing the health of environments and for the sustainability of ecosystems, which rely on a diverse array of organisms to function effectively.

The other options address related concepts but do not accurately define biodiversity. The decline of species due to habitat destruction is a consequence of reduced biodiversity rather than a definition. The total amount of resources available in a habitat pertains to ecosystem productivity and resource availability rather than the variety of life. Finally, genetic uniformity observed in domesticated species contrasts with the concept of biodiversity, which highlights variety rather than uniformity.