Question

To determine the number of trout in a lake, a conservationist catches 178 trout, tags them asut shows them back into the lakeLater, trout are caught, them are tagged. How many trout would the conservationist expect to be in the lake?

Answer 1

To estimate the trout population in a lake, the conservationist would use the mark and recapture method formula. Using the numbers of tagged and untagged trout in a sample, the total population is estimated. There are some limitations to this method, such as behavior changes in tagged animals.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to estimate the total population of trout in a lake using a mark and recapture method. The conservationist first catches and tags 178 trout, then later captures a sample of trout to see how many of them are tagged. The formula used to determine the population size (N) is as follows:
(Number of tagged individuals in the first catch) x (Total number of individuals in the second catch) / (Number of tagged individuals recaptured in the second catch) = Estimated total population

For example, if the conservationist later captures 100 trout and finds that 20 of them are tagged, the calculation would be:

(178 x 100) / 20 = Estimated population size of 890 trout.

There are limitations to this method that need to be considered, like potential behavior changes in tagged animals or the harm that can be caused by the tagging process. Nonetheless, it's a widely used technique for estimating wildlife populations.