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 61 are marked. What is the population estimate?

A) 61,000
B) 269
C) 61
D) 16,393
E) 3,721

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 61 are marked. What is the population estimate?
​
A) 61,000 
B) 269 
C) 61 
D) 16,393 
E) 3,721

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The capture-mark-recapture formula can be rearranged to solve for the population estimate:

N = (n1 × n2) / m

where:
N = population estimate
n1 = number of individuals in first capture
n2 = number of individuals in second capture
m = number of individuals that were marked and recaptured

Plugging in the given values:

N = (1000 × 1000) / 61
N ≈ 16,393

Therefore, the population estimate is 16,393.

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