Question

Describe how a researcher would determine the size of a penguin population in Antarctica using the mark and release method.

Short answer

The researcher would mark a certain number of penguins with a tag, release them back into the population, and, at a later time, recapture penguins to see what percentage of the recaptured penguins was tagged.

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Introduction

• The mark and release method is used to estimate a population's size when it is not practical to count every individual.
• A sample of the population is captured, marked, and then released. Some time later, another sample is captured and the tagged individuals are counted. The total population size can be estimated by dividing the total number of marked individuals by the proportion of marked individuals in the second sample.

Step 2. Explanation 

• The researcher would mark a certain number of penguins with a tag, release them back into the population, and, at a later time, recapture penguins to see what percentage was tagged.
• This percentage would allow an estimation of the size of the penguin population.
• The total population size can be estimated by dividing the total number of marked individuals by the proportion of marked individuals in the second sample.