Species diversity occurs at different spatial scales and that is why the Shannon-Wiener Index is used to measure it. The Shannon-Wiener Index is calculated using a mathematical equation. It takes into account the proportion of the species in consideration to abundance. Claude Shannon, whom which the index is named after, was an electrical engineer that studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later Princeton. After working for Bell Telephone Laboratories for about 15 years he began working with communications equations that essentially became the basis for the Shannon-Wiener Index (Spellerberg, Fedor, 2003). The first time the Shannon expression was published was in A Mathematical Theory of Communication. It expresses information, choice, and uncertainty (Shannon, 1948).. This idea became relevant to determine the uncertainty of species diversity which is thus relevant to determining if supplementing a loss in biodiversity with a different gain is calculable.
Shannon, C.E. (1948) A Mathematical Theory of Communication.
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Spellerberg, I., & Fedor, P. (2003). A Tribute to Claude Shannon (1916-2001) and a Plea for More
Rigorous Use of Species Richness, Species Diversity and the 'Shannon-Wiener' Index. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 12(3), 177-179. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.silk.library.umass.edu/stable/3697500
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