Shannon-Wiener index of diversity

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Shannon-Wiener index of diversity (Shannon-Weaver index, information index) A measure, derived from information theories developed by Claude E. Shannon and Norbert Wiener and published in 1949 by Shannon and Warren Weaver, that is used by ecologists when a system contains too many individuals for each to be identified and examined. A small sample is used; the index is the ratio of the number of species to their importance values (e.g. biomass or productivity) within a trophic level or community.

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