Applying the multistate capture-recapture robust design to characterize metapopulation structure

1. Population structure must be considered when developing mark-recapture (MR) study designs as the sampling of individuals from multiple populations (or subpopulations) may increase heterogeneity in individual capture probability. Conversely, the use of an appropriate MR study design which accommodates heterogeneity associated with capture-occasion varying covariates due to animals moving between ‘states’ (i.e. geographic sites) can provide insight into how animals are distributed in a particular environment and the status and connectivity of subpopulations.
2. The Multistate Closed Robust Design was chosen to investigate: 1) the demographic parameters of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) subpopulations in coastal and estuarine waters of Perth, Western Australia; and 2) how they are related to each other in a metapopulation. Using four years of year-round photo-identification surveys across three geographic sites, we accounted for heterogeneity of capture probability...