Diversity in biology: definitions, quantification and models
Abstract
Diversity indices are useful single-number metrics for characterizing a complex distribution of a set of attributes across a population of interest. The utility of these different metrics or sets of metrics depends on the context and application, and whether a predictive mechanistic model exists. In this topical review, we first summarize the relevant mathematical principles underlying heterogeneity in a large population, before outlining the various definitions of ‘diversity’ and providing examples of scientific topics in which its quantification plays an important role. We then review how diversity has been a ubiquitous concept across multiple fields, including ecology, immunology, cellular barcoding experiments, and socioeconomic studies. Since many of these applications involve sampling of populations, we also review how diversity in small samples is related to the diversity in the entire population. Features that arise in each of these applications are highlighted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Mar 19, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1088/1478-3975/ab6754
Entities
People
- Lucas Böttcher
- Song Xu
- Tom Chou
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- National Science Foundation Division of Mathematical Sciences