An assessment of sampling designs using SCR analyses to estimate abundance of boreal caribou.

ABSTRACT: Accurately estimating abundance is a critical component of monitoring and recovery of rare and elusive species. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models are an increasingly popular method for robust estimation of ecological parameters. We provide an analytical framework to assess results from empirical studies to inform SCR sampling design, using both simulated and empirical data from noninvasive genetic sampling of seven boreal caribou populations (Rangifer tarandus caribou), which varied in range size and estimated population density. We use simulated population data with varying levels of clustered distributions to quantify the impact of nonindependence of detections on density estimates, and empirical datasets to explore the influence of varied sampling intensity on the relative b

SUBMITTER: McFarlane S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7593142 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature