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Table 4 Selected measures of diversity calculated for vertebrate taxa (together and separately) sold by traditional healers in informal settlements in the Boland Region

From: Traditional medicinal animal use by Xhosa and Sotho communities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa

Index/measure

Animals (n = 17)

Mammals (n = 17)

Reptiles (n = 16)

Birds (n = 10)

Individuals

450

365

67

17

Species richness (S or N0)

71

52

13

5

Mean S per community ± SD

18.2 ± 5.7

14.4 ± 5.0

4.12 ± 1.76

1.29 ± 1.16

Shannon-Wiener index (H’)

3.79

3.47

2.02

1.47

Simpson’s (1/λ) = Hill’s N2

28.55

20.96

7.32

3.92

Hill’s N1 (eH’)

44.26

32.37

7.54

4.35

Fisher’s α

23.22

16.12

4.25

2.13

E1 (Shannon J’) = (H’/H’max)a

0.89

0.88

0.79

0.91

Evenness E5 (N2-1/N1-1)

0.64

0.64

0.97

0.87

Mean number shared species

6.58 ± 3.28 (range 1–14)

5.28 ± 2.85 (range 1–13)

1.40 ± 1.02 (range 0–4)

0.22 ± 0.45 (range 0–2)

  1. aH’max = ln(S)