Final answer:
The mark and recapture method uses a specific equation to estimate population size based on a sample that includes marked and unmarked individuals. For example, capturing and marking 80 deer, then recapturing 100 deer with 20 marked, suggests an estimated population size of 400 deer.
Step-by-step explanation:
When estimating population size from a population sampling study, the equation utilized is based on the mark and recapture method. This method involves capturing a number of individuals from the population, marking them, releasing them, and then later capturing another sample of individuals from the population and noting how many of them are marked. To estimate the total population size, the following equation is used:
N = (number of marked individuals in first capture * total number of individuals in second capture) / number of marked individuals recaptured in second capture
For example, if 80 deer are captured, tagged, and released, and later 100 deer are captured with 20 of them being previously marked, the estimated population size (N) would be (80 * 100) / 20, giving us an estimate of 400 total individuals in the original population.