Open AccessEstimating population size using single‐nucleotide polymorphism‐based pedigree data
Author(s) -
Spitzer Robert,
Norman Anita J.,
Schneider Michael,
Spong Göran
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.2076
Subject(s) - census , single nucleotide polymorphism , sampling (signal processing) , population , effective population size , statistics , population size , biology , geography , evolutionary biology , genotype , genetic variation , genetics , demography , computer science , mathematics , filter (signal processing) , sociology , computer vision , gene
Reliable population estimates are an important aspect of sustainable wildlife management and conservation but can be difficult to obtain for rare and elusive species. Here, we test a new census method based on pedigree reconstruction recently developed by Creel and Rosenblatt (2013). Using a panel of 96 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNP s), we genotyped fecal samples from two Swedish brown bear populations for pedigree reconstruction. Based on 433 genotypes from central Sweden ( CS ) and 265 from northern Sweden ( NS ), the population estimates ( N = 630 for CS , N = 408 for NS ) fell within the 95% CI of the official estimates. The precision and accuracy improved with increasing sampling intensity. Like genetic capture–mark–recapture methods, this method can be applied to data from a single sampling session. Pedigree reconstruction combined with noninvasive genetic sampling may thus augment population estimates, particularly for rare and elusive species for which sampling may be challenging.