Purpose:
The purpose of this lab to mimic the mark-recapture technique, that is performed when estimating population.
Background:
Sampling is a technique used to estimate population size, where organisms in few small areas are counted and are projected to the entire area. Another way to determine populations is tagging. The purpose is to track migration patterns, health and range. It is also a way to help determine population numbers. After taking random samples and finding the percent tagged, biologists can hypothesize the population in the area.
Procedure:
Data:
Question:
1: What is the mean (average) of your percent tagged fish from your 20 sample?
44%
2: Using the following formula, determine an estimated population for your pond:
Population Size = total number captured x number marked / total numbered captured with mark
98 fish
3: Now, actually count the number of fish in your pool: 144 fish
4: Find your percentage error by using the following formula: %
100 x (Your estimate of population - Actual size of population) / (Actual size of population)
32%
5: What concerns should a biologist have about a species' habits before (s)he uses this method to approximate the size of a population?
They should know:
- Do the species live in clusters or separated?
- Do they stay in a small area or a large area?
- Are they nocturnal or diurnal?
- Life span?
44%
2: Using the following formula, determine an estimated population for your pond:
Population Size = total number captured x number marked / total numbered captured with mark
98 fish
3: Now, actually count the number of fish in your pool: 144 fish
4: Find your percentage error by using the following formula: %
100 x (Your estimate of population - Actual size of population) / (Actual size of population)
32%
5: What concerns should a biologist have about a species' habits before (s)he uses this method to approximate the size of a population?
They should know:
- Do the species live in clusters or separated?
- Do they stay in a small area or a large area?
- Are they nocturnal or diurnal?
- Life span?
Conclusion:
How did you fulfill the purpose? What did you learn?
I applied the technique that biologist use to approximate the population size, by capturing fish from a kiddie pool using a fish net. Errors in my experiment could have from not shuffling the fish around enough, grabbing too many or not grabbing enough. I learned that counting population size is incredibly difficult. My data was inaccurate, which makes me question if this happens in real life and do they repeat the process again to grantee their numbers are as close to correct as possible.
I applied the technique that biologist use to approximate the population size, by capturing fish from a kiddie pool using a fish net. Errors in my experiment could have from not shuffling the fish around enough, grabbing too many or not grabbing enough. I learned that counting population size is incredibly difficult. My data was inaccurate, which makes me question if this happens in real life and do they repeat the process again to grantee their numbers are as close to correct as possible.