Question

You want to compare the community diversity of two bird populations in Indonesia. The bird communities were surveyed in a pristine unlogged forest and in a selectively logged lowland. What is the Shannon Diversity Index for Community 2 and how does the diversity of community 2 compare to community 1?

Greater-Billed Parrot Brown Cuckoo Papuan Hornbill Shannon-Diversity Index Community 1: Pristine Unlogged 9 15 24 1.023 Community 2 : Selectively logged 11 14 27 ????

a)Hs = 1.022; Diversity between the two communities is equal
b)Hs = 1.45; Diversity in Community 2 is greater
c) Hs = 0.85; Diversity in Community 2 is lower
d)Hs = 0.91; Diversity in Community two is lower
e)Hs = 1.32 Diversity in Community two is higher

Answer 1

Shannon Diversity index of Community 2 is calculated as follows:

From the table above, It is evident that the Shannon Diversity index of Community 2 is 1.022 and that of Community one as already calculated in the question is 1.023.

So Diversity between the two communities is equal (option a is correct)