In wildlife management, the capture-mark-recapture technique is used to estimate the populations of fish or birds in an area or to measure the infestation of insects such as Japanese beetles. Suppose 100 individuals of the species being studied are caught, marked, and released, and one week later 100 more are caught. To estimate the total number of individuals, the following relationship is used:
Suppose that 1000 beetles are captured, marked, and released. Suppose further that in the second capture of 1000 it is found that 59 are marked. What is the population estimate?

A)59,000
B)287
C)59
D)16,949
E)3,481

Question

In wildlife management, the capture-mark-recapture technique is used to estimate the populations of fish or birds in an area or to measure the infestation of insects such as Japanese beetles. Suppose 100 individuals of the species being studied are caught, marked, and released, and one week later 100 more are caught. To estimate the total number of individuals, the following relationship is used: ​  ​
Suppose that 1000 beetles are captured, marked, and released. Suppose further that in the second capture of 1000 it is found that 59 are marked. What is the population estimate?
​
A)59,000 
B)287 
C)59 
D)16,949 
E)3,481

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The capture-mark-recapture equation is:

total population estimate = (number marked in first capture x total number in second capture) / number of recaptures

Plugging in the given values, we get:

total population estimate = (1000 marked beetles x 1000 beetles in second capture) / 59 recaptured beetles

Simplifying this equation gives us:

total population estimate = 16,949.1525

Rounding to the nearest whole number, the population estimate is 16,949. Therefore, the answer is D.

In Wildlife Management, the Capture-Mark-Recapture Technique Is Used to Estimate