Population Estimation

Population A group of organisms of the same

species living in the same area at the same time

How does a population differ from a community? A population refers

to one group of organisms in a particular area

A community refers to all the populations of organisms in a particular area

Sea Otter Observations They are cute! They are FUN! They are cuddly! …..eh….not really.

What are your‘real’ observations?

Why is it important for us to know the populations of the organisms among us?

Remember, we are all connected in the great circle of life

Let’s take a field trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska

How do I determine the size of the sea otter population?

SCIENTISTS: Use the capture-tag-recapture method

By capturing otters, tagging them, and placing them back in the wild we can estimate their population size.

Complete your procedure to discover how many sea otters live in Glacier Bay!