Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Forword by Robert D. Martin
- Introduction
- 1 Human-nonhuman primate interactions: an ethnoprimatological approach
- 2 Habituating primates: processes, techniques, variables and ethics
- 3 Habitat description and phenology
- 4 The Global Positioning System, Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing
- 5 Monitoring local weather and climate
- 6 Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
- 7 Trapping primates
- 8 Handling, anaesthesia, health evaluation and biological sampling
- 9 Morphology, morphometrics and taxonomy
- 10 Marking and radio-tracking primates
- 11 Feeding ecology and seed dispersal
- 12 Dietary analysis I: Food physics
- 13 Dietary analysis II: Food chemistry
- 14 Collecting arthropods and arthropod remains for primate studies
- 15 Tape-recording primate vocalisations
- 16 Photography and video for field researchers
- 17 Chronobiological aspects of primate research
- 18 Thermoregulation and energetics
- 19 Field endocrinology: monitoring hormonal changes in free-ranging primates
- 20 Collection, storage and analysis of non-invasive genetic material in primate biology
- 21 Tips from the bush: an A-Z of suggestions for successful fieldwork
- Index
- References
6 - Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Forword by Robert D. Martin
- Introduction
- 1 Human-nonhuman primate interactions: an ethnoprimatological approach
- 2 Habituating primates: processes, techniques, variables and ethics
- 3 Habitat description and phenology
- 4 The Global Positioning System, Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing
- 5 Monitoring local weather and climate
- 6 Survey and census methods: population distribution and density
- 7 Trapping primates
- 8 Handling, anaesthesia, health evaluation and biological sampling
- 9 Morphology, morphometrics and taxonomy
- 10 Marking and radio-tracking primates
- 11 Feeding ecology and seed dispersal
- 12 Dietary analysis I: Food physics
- 13 Dietary analysis II: Food chemistry
- 14 Collecting arthropods and arthropod remains for primate studies
- 15 Tape-recording primate vocalisations
- 16 Photography and video for field researchers
- 17 Chronobiological aspects of primate research
- 18 Thermoregulation and energetics
- 19 Field endocrinology: monitoring hormonal changes in free-ranging primates
- 20 Collection, storage and analysis of non-invasive genetic material in primate biology
- 21 Tips from the bush: an A-Z of suggestions for successful fieldwork
- Index
- References
Summary
INTRODUCTION
A population study of a wild primate typically involves a considerable investment of time and resources (i.e. money, equipment, labour) and it is vital to ensure that such effort is well targeted. When designing your study, a key issue is whether your study objectives genuinely demand an absolute estimate of the population density from either a census (a total count) or a survey (in which density is estimated from statistically valid samples), or whether less information will suffice. Relative estimates of density using data from methods such as ‘catch-per-unit effort’ from trapping or systematic searching do not provide absolute densities but, as long as the sampling methods and other conditions are standardised, can allow reliable comparisons between locations and monitoring of population change over time. Population indices are based on indirect indicators, such as the density of faeces or other characteristic signs, that can be correlated with population density. Such methods may be a more practical alternative to searching for secretive, hard-to-find animals.
In practice, no population survey or census is completely bias free and many studies may find that a reliable relative population estimate or index is more achievable than a reliable absolute estimate of the population size (Bibby et al., 1992; Greenwood, 1996; Krebs, 1999). There is a trade-off between the depth of the data gathered and the number of replicate samples that can be obtained.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Field and Laboratory Methods in PrimatologyA Practical Guide, pp. 90 - 109Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
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