A New Species Richness Measure Improved From Margalef And Menhinick Indices

Abstract

In the present study, a new estimator is proposed to measure species richness. Its’ essential inputs are alfa scale parameters of Margalef and Menhinick indices. To evaluate the performance of the new estimator, a hypothetical community dataset was used. The computations were performed using a spreadsheet program created for the new estimator. The new proposed estimator is also integrated into the BİÇEB software. According to estimation results, the new estimator seems to be a better form rather than Margalef and Menhinick indices. Therefore it may be employed for comparing species richness of the natural communities. To better understand the performance of the new estimator, further studies should be however generated using various types of real ecological data.