What is the primary purpose of Simpson's Index of Diversity?

Simpson's Index of Diversity is fundamentally designed to quantify the diversity of species within a given habitat, making it an essential tool in ecological studies. The index takes into account both the richness (the number of different species) and evenness (the relative abundance of each species) within a community. By doing so, it provides a single value that reflects both aspects of diversity, allowing scientists to compare different habitats or monitor changes in biodiversity over time.

The focus of Simpson's Index on the variety and distribution of species makes it specifically beneficial for assessing biodiversity rather than factors such as water quality, biomass productivity, or population growth rates. While the other options provide valuable insights into various ecological and environmental parameters, they do not directly assess species diversity in the manner that Simpson's Index does. Thus, this index is primarily utilized in studies aimed at understanding the ecological complexity of ecosystems and their health based on species richness and abundance distributions.