Who popularised the term 'Biodiversity'?

The correct answer is Option (1) → Edward Wilson

Option (1) Edward Wilson — Correct. The sociobiologist Edward Wilson made the term popular. Wilson studied ants and the social behaviour of animals.

Option (2) Charles Darwin — Incorrect. Darwin gave the theory of evolution by natural selection, based on his voyage on the HMS Beagle.

Option (3) Lamarck — Incorrect. Lamarck explained evolution by the use and disuse of organs, with the long neck of the giraffe as his example.

Option (4) Watson and Crick — Incorrect. Watson and Crick proposed the double helix model of DNA in 1953.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 03-06-2025 (Slot 1).

NCERT Extract:
Biodiversity – “In our biosphere immense diversity (or heterogeneity) exists not only at the species level but at all levels of biological organisation ranging from macromolecules within cells to biomes. Biodiversity is the term popularised by the sociobiologist Edward Wilson to describe the combined diversity at all the levels of biological organisation.”