What is the term for a significant reduction in biodiversity due to habitat destruction?

The term that specifically relates to a significant reduction in biodiversity due to habitat destruction is biodiversity loss. This concept encompasses the decline in the variety of life forms within a particular habitat, ecosystem, or larger environment, often as a direct result of human activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and pollution. Biodiversity loss highlights the importance of preserving various species and ecosystems, as each contributes to the health and stability of the environment.

While the other options touch upon related concepts, they are not as precise in addressing the direct consequence of habitat destruction on biodiversity. For example, extinction events refer to periods when large numbers of species lose their lives in a relatively short time frame, but this is more historical and broader than the process of biodiversity loss. Habitat fragmentation describes the breakdown of larger habitats into smaller, isolated patches, which can lead to biodiversity loss, but it is a process rather than the outcome itself. Environmental degradation is a broader term encompassing any deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources, such as air, water, and soil quality, and may lead to biodiversity loss, but again, it does not specifically denote the reduction in biodiversity resulting from habitat destruction. Thus, the most accurate and focused term for the reduction in biodiversity due to habitat destruction is biodiversity loss