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Simpson's Index of Diversity Formula:
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Simpson's Index of Diversity (D) measures species diversity in a community. It represents the probability that two randomly selected individuals from a sample will belong to different species. The index ranges from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (infinite diversity).
The calculator uses the Simpson's Index of Diversity formula:
Where:
Explanation: The equation calculates the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different species, with higher values indicating greater diversity.
Details: Simpson's Index is widely used in ecology, conservation biology, and environmental science to quantify biodiversity, monitor ecosystem health, and assess the impact of environmental changes on species communities.
Tips: Enter the number of individuals for each species, separated by commas or new lines. The calculator will compute both the total number of individuals (N) and Simpson's Index of Diversity (D).
Q1: What does a Simpson's Index of 0.8 mean?
A: An index of 0.8 means there's an 80% chance that two randomly selected individuals will belong to different species, indicating high diversity.
Q2: How does Simpson's Index differ from Shannon Index?
A: Simpson's Index emphasizes dominant species, while Shannon Index gives more weight to rare species. Both are valuable but provide different perspectives on diversity.
Q3: What are the limitations of Simpson's Index?
A: It doesn't account for species richness directly and can be sensitive to sample size. Very rare species have little effect on the index value.
Q4: When is Simpson's Index most useful?
A: It's particularly useful when concerned with the dominance of common species in a community rather than the presence of rare species.
Q5: Can Simpson's Index be greater than 1?
A: No, Simpson's Index of Diversity ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 represents no diversity and 1 represents infinite diversity.