Simpsons Diversity Index - Page 6 of 7

Step 5

Put the values you have calculated into the equation.

$D = 1 - \left ( \frac{\sum n(n-1)}{N(N-1)} \right )$

∑ = sum of

n = number of individuals

N = total number of individuals

$D = 1 - \left ( \frac{4586}{11,130} \right )$

D = 1 – (0.412)

D = 0.588

Reminder that the value of this index ranges between 0 and 1. The greater the value, the greater the sample diversity. But this largely means nothing on its own. It’s useful when comparing two or more ecosystems to each other.