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Diversity Index
Diverity Indices...
- used to describe the complexity of communities or ecosystems;
- can rely on species, size or pigment (phytoplankton) composition or
any other determinant separating one group of organisms from another;
- Simple Diversity Index introduced by Margaleff (1951):
S - 1
D = ------------
lnN
with D = Diversity Index, S = Number of species/groups, N = total number of individuals.
- Highest diversity: coral reefs, tropical plankton communities, stable enrionments
- Lowest diversity: plankton blooms, new biotops, unstable envrionments
- Diversity can be high although only few species occur when total number of individuals
is low.
Thought Experiment: Which population has the higher diversity?
- Pop1: S = 3, N = 50
- Pop2: S = 7, N = 84,000
For more information on diversity indices and introduction of other
commonly used indices refer to web page
http://darwin.bio.geneseo.edu/~sugg/Classes/Ecology/Lectures/Lecture_22.htm
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