1. What is Simpson's Biodiversity Index?

Simpson's Biodiversity Index (D) measures the diversity of species in a community. It represents the probability that two individuals randomly selected from a sample will belong to the same species. The index ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no diversity and 1 indicates infinite diversity.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Simpson's Biodiversity Index formula:

Where:

• \( n_i \) — Number of individuals of species i
• \( N \) — Total number of individuals in the sample
• \( \sum \) — Summation over all species

Explanation: The formula calculates the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different species, providing a measure of biodiversity.

3. Importance of Biodiversity Measurement

Details: Simpson's Index is widely used in ecology to assess species diversity in habitats, monitor environmental changes, and compare biodiversity across different ecosystems or over time.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the count of individuals for each species as comma-separated values (e.g., "5, 3, 8, 2"). All values must be positive integers representing the number of individuals observed for each species.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does a high Simpson's Index value indicate?
A: A higher value (closer to 1) indicates greater biodiversity, meaning there's a lower probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to the same species.

Q2: How does Simpson's Index differ from other diversity indices?
A: Simpson's Index gives more weight to abundant species, making it more sensitive to changes in the most common species compared to indices like Shannon-Wiener.

Q3: What are typical values for Simpson's Index?
A: Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (infinite diversity). Most natural communities have values between 0.7 and 0.9.

Q4: When should I use Simpson's Index?
A: Use it when you want to emphasize the dominance of common species in your diversity assessment, particularly in ecological monitoring and conservation studies.

Q5: Are there limitations to Simpson's Index?
A: It may be less sensitive to rare species compared to other indices, and it doesn't account for species richness (number of different species) directly.