Table 3. Summary of alpha diversity metrics.
| Alpha Diversity Measure | Included in EFA | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | No | High inter-correlation with other indicators |
| Observed OTUs | No | High inter-correlation with other indicators |
| Chao1 | No | High inter-correlation with other indicators |
| Margalef | No | High inter-correlation with other indicators |
| Fisher alpha | Yes | |
| Faith pd | Yes | |
| Brillouin d | No | High inter-correlation with other indicators |
| Shannon | Yes | |
| Enspie (ENS) | Yes | |
| Menhinick | Yes | |
| Mcintosh e | No | Elevated Skewness/Kurtosis |
| Simpson | No | Elevated Skewness/Kurtosis |
| Berger Parker d | No | Elevated Skewness/Kurtosis |
| Strong | Yes | |
| Simpson e | Yes | |
| Pielou e | No | Elevated Skewness/Kurtosis |
| Heip e | Yes | |
| Lladser pe | Yes |
OTUs = Operational taxonomic units; See Fig 1 for the correlation value between each pair of alpha diversity indices evaluated.