Which of the following is the most important assumption for the capture-recapture method to estimate the size of wildlife populations?
A) All females in the population have the same litter size.
B) More individuals emigrate from, as opposed to immigrate into, a population.
C) Over 50% of the marked individuals need to be trapped during the recapture phase.
D) There is a 50:50 ratio of males to females in the population before and after trapping and recapture.
E) Marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The capture-recapture method relies on the assumption that marked individuals have the same probability of being recaptured as unmarked individuals during the recapture phase. This is necessary to ensure that the proportion of marked individuals in the recaptured population accurately represents the proportion of marked individuals in the overall population. While the other assumptions may be important in other aspects of population estimation, they are not directly relevant to the capture-recapture method.

Which of the Following Is the Most Important Assumption for the Capture-Recapture