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The use of block counts, mark-resight and distance sampling to estimate population size of a mountain-dwelling ungulate

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Population Ecology

Abstract

Population size estimates represent indispensable tools for many research programs and for conservation or management issues. Mountain ungulates in open areas are often surveyed through ground counts that normally underestimate population size. While the use of sample counts is desirable, few studies have compared different probabilistic approaches to estimate population size in this taxon. We compared the size estimates of a male population of Alpine chamois using mark-resight and line transect sampling methods, while block counts were used to obtain the minimum number of males alive in the study area. Surveys were conducted within the Gran Paradiso National Park (Italy), in August–September 2013, using block counts along purposely selected trails and vantage points, mark-resight over 5 consecutive resightings from vantage points and trails, and line transect sampling along 12 transects repeated 8 times. Block counts yielded a minimum number of males alive in the population of n = 72 individuals. This value was greater than the upper bound of the 95 % confidence interval achieved using line transect sampling {n = 54, CV = 14 % [95 % CI (40, 71)]} while mark-resight yielded a more realistic result of n = 93 individuals {CV = 18 % [95 % CI (63, 137)]}. Our results suggest that line transect sampling performed poorly in the Alpine environment, leading to underestimates of population size, likely due to violations of some assumptions imposed by the rugged nature of the terrain. The mark-resight yielded lower precision, possibly due to the limited number of marked individuals and resighting occasions, but it provided robustness and accurate estimates as marks were evenly distributed among animals.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the wardens of the PNGP for their effort in darting chamois, and for their help in collecting data with the block counts. We thank B. Bassano (GPNP) for his help in capturing chamois and for promoting the development of this study and C. Lorenzetti for her help during mark-resight surveys. We thank S. Lovari (University of Siena) for his support throughout the study on chamois in the GPNP, J. Herrero (University of Zaragoza) and 2 anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Part of this work was funded within the framework of GREAT (Grandi Erbivori negli Ecosistemi Alpini in Trasformazione—Large herbivores in changing Alpine ecosystems), a project co-funded by the UE-ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the cross-border cooperation programme Interreg IVA Italy-Switzerland 2007-2013. LC collected data in the field. LC and LF did the mark-resight analysis. LN developed the distance sampling protocol and performed the data analysis. All authors contributed equally to writing up this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Gregor-Mendel Strasse 33, 1180, Vienna, Austria

    Luca Corlatti

  2. Alpine Wildlife Research Centre, Gran Paradiso National Park, Via della Rocca 47, 10123, Turin, Italy

    Luca Corlatti

  3. Department of Economics and Statistics, University of Siena, Piazza S. Francesco 8, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Lorenzo Fattorini

  4. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Luca Nelli

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  1. Luca Corlatti
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Correspondence to Luca Corlatti.

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Corlatti, L., Fattorini, L. & Nelli, L. The use of block counts, mark-resight and distance sampling to estimate population size of a mountain-dwelling ungulate. Popul Ecol 57, 409–419 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10144-015-0481-6

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