What do we call the variety of life and its processes in a given area?

The term that refers to the variety of life and its processes in a given area is biodiversity. Biodiversity encompasses the wide array of species, genetic variations, and the ecosystems that support those species within a specific environment. It highlights not only the number of different species but also their interactions, ecological roles, and the resilience of ecosystems in response to environmental changes.

This concept is crucial for understanding the health of ecosystems, as a higher level of biodiversity typically correlates with greater stability and productivity. This means that regions rich in biodiversity are often better equipped to withstand changes such as climate shifts, disease, and human impact.

In contrast, ecological footprint refers to the demand placed on the Earth's ecosystems by human activities, natural selection is the process through which advantageous traits become more common in a population over generations, and habitat fragmentation describes the process whereby larger habitats are divided into smaller, isolated patches, which can negatively impact species populations and biodiversity. Thus, biodiversity is the most fitting term for the variety of life and processes occurring within a specific area.