Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index

The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index is a way to measure how diverse a community or ecosystem is, considering both the number of different species and how evenly individuals are distributed among those species. A higher index indicates greater diversity, meaning many species are present and populations are relatively balanced. Conversely, a lower index suggests fewer species or dominance by a few, making the community less diverse. This metric helps ecologists understand the health and stability of ecosystems by providing a quantitative basis for comparing biodiversity across different areas or over time.