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Calcimator

Fish Biodiversity Index Calculator

Calculate Shannon-Wiener diversity (H'), Simpson's index, Pielou's evenness, and Margalef's richness from species abundance data.

Inputs

Results

Shannon-Wiener H'

1.72

Simpson's diversity (1-D)0.78
Simpson's D (dominance)0.22
Pielou's evenness (J')0.83
Species richness (S)8
Total individuals (N)130
Margalef's index1.44
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the number of species observed in the survey transect or station.
  2. Input the abundance (individual count) for each species.
  3. Review the Shannon diversity index (H'), Simpson's index (D), and species evenness (J').
  4. Compare indices across sites or time periods to assess biodiversity change.
  5. A Shannon H' above 3 indicates high diversity; below 1.5 indicates low diversity or dominance.

How the result changes with Species 1 count

Species 1 countShannon-Wiener H'
10,0000.06
35,0000.02
65,0000.01
90,0000.01

What each input means

Species 1 count
Number of individuals of the first species in the sample.
Species 2 count
Number of individuals of the second species.
Species 3 count
Number of individuals of the third species.
Species 4 count
Number of individuals of the fourth species.
Species 5 count
Number of individuals of the fifth species. Enter 0 if fewer species.
Species 6 count
Number of individuals of the sixth species. Enter 0 if fewer species.
Species 7 count
Number of individuals of the seventh species. Enter 0 if fewer species.
Species 8 count
Number of individuals of the eighth species. Enter 0 if fewer species.

What each result means

Shannon-Wiener H'
Shannon-Wiener diversity index using natural log. Higher values = more diverse. Typical range 0-4.
Simpson's diversity (1-D)
Simpson's diversity index. Ranges 0-1; closer to 1 means higher diversity.
Simpson's D (dominance)
Simpson's dominance index. Probability that two random individuals belong to the same species.
Pielou's evenness (J')
Ratio of observed to maximum possible diversity (0-1). 1.0 = perfectly even distribution.
Species richness (S)
Total number of species with at least one individual.
Total individuals (N)
Sum of all individual counts across species.
Margalef's index
Margalef's species richness index: (S-1)/ln(N). Accounts for sample size.

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