Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments. With more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess variations of alleles that are suited for the environment. Those individuals are more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing that allele. The idea of natural selection is that traits that can be passed down allow organisms to adapt to the environment better than other organisms of the same species. This enables better survival and reproduction compared with other members of the species, leading to evolution. Genetic diversity of plants, animals and other living organisms is what enables them to survive and thrive in this world. The capacity of species to adapt to new circumstances, whether this is resource scarcity, a changing environment or other disturbances to their natural environment, depends on genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is a measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population. Populations with high genetic diversity are better able to respond to environmental change than populations with lower genetic diversity. Biodiversity supports food security and sustained livelihoods through overall genetic diversity. ​Genes regulate all biological processes on the planet and increase the ability of organisms to cope with environmental stressors. Greater biodiversity in ecosystems, species, and individuals leads to greater stability. For example, species with high genetic diversity and many populations that are adapted to a wide variety of conditions are more likely to be able to weather disturbances, disease, and climate change. Without genetic variation, a population cannot evolve in response to changing environmental variables and, as a result, may face an increased risk of extinction. For example, if a population is exposed to a new disease, selection will act on genes for resistance to the disease if they exist in the population. Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the growth of an adult plant. The growth of an animal is controlled by genetic factors, food intake, and interactions with other organisms, and each species has a typical adult size range. A genetic variation helps a population survive in the face of changing, uncertain environments because of the mutation or a change in the alleles in the living species. The formation of the new alleles helps a population to reproduce and adapt or survive.

Maintaining high genetic diversity allows species to adapt to future environmental changes and avoid inbreeding. Inbreeding, which happens when there are small, isolated populations, can reduce a species' ability to survive and reproduce. The greatest biodiversity is found in the tropical regions of the world, particularly among tropical rainforests and coral reefs. Biodiversity is increased by genetic change and evolutionary processes and reduced by habitat destruction, population decline and extinction. The idea of natural selection is that traits that can be passed down allow organisms to adapt to the environment better than other organisms of the same species. This enables better survival and reproduction compared with other members of the species, leading to evolution. Genetic diversity serves as a way for populations to adapt to changing environments. With more variation, it is more likely that some individuals in a population will possess variations of alleles that are suited for the environment. Those individuals are more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing that allele. Genetic diversity of plants, animals and other living organisms is what enables them to survive and thrive in this world. The capacity of species to adapt to new circumstances, whether this is resource scarcity, a changing environment or other disturbances to their natural environment, depends on genetic diversity. Genetic Diversity refers to the range of different inherited traits within a species. In a species with high genetic diversity, there would be many individuals with a wide variety of different traits. Biodiversity supports habitats for all species by providing many unique environments in which species can exist; these include ecosystems of all types and sizes, rare ecosystems, and corridors between habitats. This happens by the process of natural selection. By natural selection, the nature of the species gradually changes to become adapted to the niche. If a species becomes very well adapted to its environment, and if the environment does not change, species can exist for a very long time before they become extinct. Because genetic diversity within key species can be considered analogous to species diversity within a functional group, genetic diversity may be more likely to affect the resistance of ecosystems to perturbation than to affect the magnitude of ecosystem processes under “normal” conditions. Loss of genetic diversity could drive widespread loss of physiological versatility and ecological resilience, with flow-on effects cascading through to critical and potentially irreversible, changes to ecosystem structure and functioning.Biologically diverse communities are also more likely to contain species that confer resilience to that ecosystem because as a community accumulates species, there is a higher chance of any one of them having traits that enable them to adapt to a changing environment.