Accuracy, precision, and error in age estimation of Florida manatees using growth layer groups in earbones.

ABSTRACT: Ages of Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) can be estimated by counting annual growth layer groups (GLGs) in the periotic dome portion of the tympanoperiotic complex of their earbones. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission manages an archive of more than 8,700 Florida manatee earbones collected from salvaged carcasses from 1989 to 2017. Our goal was to comprehensively evaluate techniques used to estimate age, given this large sample size and changes to processing protocols and earbone readers over time. We developed new standards for estimating ages from earbones, involving two independent readers to obtain measurements of within- and between-reader precision. To quantify accuracy, precision, and error, 111 earbones from manatees with approximately kno

SUBMITTER: Lonati GL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6660810 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature