A genetic analogue of 'mark-recapture' methods for estimating population size: an approach based on molecular parentage assessments.

摘要: Molecular polymorphisms have been used in a variety of ways to estimate both effective and local census population sizes nature. A related approach for estimating the current size breeding population, explored here first time, is use genetic 'marks' reconstructed otherwise unknown parents paternity or maternity analyses progeny arrays. This method provides interesting similarities contrasts traditional mark-recapture methods based on physical tags. To illustrate, this applied painted turtles Mississippi River number successfully males. Non-genetic approaches were also animals trapped at location. Results demonstrate that such data parentage can be helpful not only contemporary sizes, but providing additional information, present customary data, about possible extended movements individuals pool mates which they encounter.