capture-recapture
Tag, release, recount
Capture-recapture is a method for estimating population size when counting every individual is impractical.
Researchers capture a sample, mark or tag them, release them, then capture another sample later.
The proportion of marked individuals in the second sample reveals the total population: Wildlife biologists used capture-recapture to estimate the deer population.
The technique applies beyond ecology—epidemiologists use it to estimate disease prevalence, and historians use it to count casualties from incomplete records.
Extracting subset for study
- taggingAttaching identifying markers
- resightingSpotting something previously seen
- abundanceAmple supply, overflowing
- censusOfficial population count
Attaching identifying markers
- bandingAdding decorative strips
- radio collarAnimal tracking transmitter
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- migrationMovement to new territory
survival rate · mortality · territory · nesting · spawning · conservation · endangered species · habitat
Estimated bounds for population parameter
- varianceSpread around the mean
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
- heterogeneityState of being dissimilar
independence · bootstrap · Bayesian · prior · posterior · simulation · sample size · standard error
Stating fewer than actual
- prevalenceState of being widespread
- incidenceRate of occurrence
- ascertainmentAct of determining definitively
- registryOfficial record of entries
completeness · health records · outbreak · notification · public health · birth defects
sampling
Extracting subset for study
- taggingAttaching identifying markers
- resightingSpotting something previously seen
- abundanceAmple supply, overflowing
census · enumeration · field survey · monitoring · index
tagging
Attaching identifying markers
- bandingAdding decorative strips
- radio collarAnimal tracking transmitter
- trackingMonitoring location over time
migration · survival rate · mortality · territory · nesting · spawning · conservation · endangered species · habitat · transect
confidence interval
Estimated bounds for population parameter
- varianceSpread around the mean
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
- assumptionUnverified belief accepted as true
heterogeneity · independence · bootstrap · Bayesian · prior · posterior · simulation · sample size · standard error · probability
underreporting
Stating fewer than actual
- prevalenceState of being widespread
- incidenceRate of occurrence
- ascertainmentAct of determining definitively
registry · completeness · health records · outbreak · notification · public health · birth defects