Which term describes the variety of different species in a given area?

The term that describes the variety of different species in a given area is biodiversity. Biodiversity encompasses not only the species count but also the genetic diversity within those species and the different ecosystems they inhabit. It is a crucial element for maintaining ecosystem health and resilience, as it allows ecosystems to respond and adapt to environmental changes, such as climate change and habitat destruction.

While species richness, which refers specifically to the number of different species in a given area, is closely related and often used in the context of biodiversity, it does not capture the full scope of biodiversity, which includes genetic variation and ecosystem diversity. Population density refers to the number of individuals of a species in a particular area and ecological footprint measures the environmental impact of a population based on resource consumption and waste. These concepts, while relevant to ecology, do not describe the variety of species itself.