Estimating population size using single-nucleotide polymorphism-based pedigree data.
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 (SNPs), 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.
Wildlife Ecology Group Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE-901 83 Umeå Sweden.
Robert
R
Spitzer
Molecular Ecology Group Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE-901 83 Umeå Sweden.
Anita J
0000-0002-9499-758X
AJ
Norman
Västerbotten County Administration SE-901 86 Umeå Sweden.
Michael
M
Schneider
Molecular Ecology Group Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SE-901 83 Umeå Sweden; Forestry and Environmental Resources College of Natural Resources North Carolina State University Raleigh 27695 North Carolina.
Göran
G
Spong
Brown bear; SNP; noninvasive sampling; pedigree reconstruction; population estimate; rarefaction; single‐nucleotide polymorphism