Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #107558
Title: DIVERSITY INDEXES AND THEIR USE IN TEMPERATUE GRAZINGLAND RESEARCH

Author
item Sanderson, Matt
item Tracy, Benjamin
item Gustine, David
item Byers, Robert

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: Sanderson, M.A., Tracy, B.F., Gustine, D.L., Byers, R.A. 1999. Diversity indexes and their use in temperatue grazing land research[abstract]. Agronomy Abstracts. p. 146.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The diversity of plant and animal species is important in the function of temperate grazingland ecosystems. Measurement of diversity, however, is not straightforward and can be complicated by several factors, including the scale of inference. Species richness (number of species per unit area) is the simplest measure of diversity and many times the most useful. Richness, however, does not convey information on the uniformity of specie distribution (evenness). Diversity indexes such as the Shannon-Weaver or Simpson index incorporate evenness terms. Scale of measurement also affects index interpretations. We will discuss the use of different indexes in grazinglands research with examples from grazing management, a plant species diversity survey, molecular biology, and insect diversity experiments at various scales.