4.1.2

Communities & Measuring Diversity

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Index of Diversity

Populations rarely, if ever, live in isolation from populations of other species forming communities. The diversity of communities can be assesed using Simpson's Diversity Index.

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Communities

  • In most cases, numerous species share a habitat.
  • The interactions between these populations play a major role in regulating population growth and abundance.
    • All populations occupying the same habitat form a community: populations inhabiting a specific area at the same time.
  • The number of species occupying the same habitat and their relative abundance is known as species diversity.
  • Ecology is studied at the community level to understand how species interact with each other.
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The equation

  • The index of diversity (D) is calculated as:
    • D = 1 - ((n(n1)N(N1)))((\large\frac{\sum n(n-1)}{N(N-1)}))
      • N = total number of organisms of all species present.
      • n =total number of organisms of one given species present.
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Benefit of using this index

  • The benefit of using the index of diversity instead of just species richness is that it takes into account the population sizes of different species in one community.
    • The greater the value for the index of diversity, the more diverse the community.

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