Imagine That You Are Conducting a Mark-Recapture Survey of Common

question 3

Essay

Imagine that you are conducting a mark-recapture survey of common pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare), a terrestrial isopod, in a field. Unbeknownst to you, the majority of the pill bugs molt between marking and recapturing. How does this affect your estimate of the population size? How could you have foreseen this? How could you prevent this in the future?

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Definitions:

Bottom-dwelling Organisms

Refers to organisms that live on or near the bottom of bodies of water.

Ecotone

A transitional zone between two different ecosystems or biomes, often rich in species diversity.

Transition Zone

The transition zone is an area or region where different ecological communities or physical environments meet and integrate, often leading to high biodiversity.

Neritic Province

Ocean water that extends from the shoreline to where the bottom reaches a depth of 200 m. Compare with oceanic province.