
Concept explainers
To analyze:
The Shannon index value from the given table and the pond that has the higher diversity of species.
Given:
From the ponds of Mount St. Helens, the individuals from different number of species were collected and the data were recorded in Table 1.
Table 1: The number of individuals of each species present in pond A and pond B
Pond A | ||||
Species | Abundance | Proportion (pi) | ln (pi) | pi ln (pi) |
Pacific tree frog | 6 | |||
Western toad | 8 | |||
Cascades frog | 2 | |||
Northern red-legged frog | ||||
Total | 20 | |||
Pond B | ||||
Pacific tree frog | 5 | 0.25 | –1.386 | –0.347 |
Western toad | 5 | 0.25 | –1.386 | –0.347 |
Cascades frog | 5 | 0.25 | –1.386 | –0.347 |
Northern red-legged frog | 5 | 0.25 | –1.386 | –0.347 |
Total | 20 | 1.00 | –1.388 |
Introduction:
The species diversity in different regions is calculated by using the Shannon index. In the given table, it is observed that the number of species or the species richness is similar in both the ponds, that is, pond A and pond B. However, the species diversity cannot be observed directly by just looking at the data. The species diversity is calculated by Shannon index, which considers the species evenness in an area.

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Chapter 56 Solutions
LIFE:SCIENCE OF BIOL.(LL) >CUSTOM<