Three different wildlife management areas (X, Y, and Z) are surveyed for nesting birds. When compared using the Jaccard index of similarity, the results are as follows:
Area X and Y - J = 0.6
Area Y and Z - J = 0.2
Area X and Z - J = 0.8
Which two areas are most similar?

Question

Three different wildlife management areas (X, Y, and Z) are surveyed for nesting birds. When compared using the Jaccard index of similarity, the results are as follows: 
Area X and Y - J = 0.6
Area Y and Z - J = 0.2
Area X and Z - J = 0.8
Which two areas are most similar?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Jaccard index of similarity measures the similarity between two sets, in this case the sets of nesting bird species in each area. The higher the Jaccard index, the more similar the sets are. Therefore, Area X and Z have the highest Jaccard similarity index of 0.8, indicating that they share a higher proportion of nesting bird species in common compared to the other pairs of areas. Therefore, choice C (X and Z) is the best choice.

Three Different Wildlife Management Areas (X, Y, and Z) Are