Beyond abundance: The impact of sampling design on effective population size estimates in capercaillie

Effective population size (Ne) is a useful parameter to evaluate the long-term viability of populations. While obtaining enough field data from wild populations to estimate Ne directly is challenging, molecular techniques applied to non-invasive samples provide an appealing alternative. However, Ne estimates may be biased by both ecological and sampling-related factors. In polygamous species, the monopolization of mating tends to reduce the ratio between the effective population and the census population (Ne: Nc) compared to idealized populations. Ne estimates may also be affected by sample size, spatial structure, and relatedness, factors that are often overlooked in studies of wild populations. We investigated how sample size, spatial structure, and relatedness impact Ne estimates in an endangered population of a polygynous forest grouse, the Cantabrian capercaillie, inhabiting the mountains of north-western Spain. We studied  135 capercaillie individuals based on DNA extracted f..., , # Data from: Beyond abundance: The impact of sampling design on effective population size estimates in capercaillie

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vj28](10.5061/dryad.2ngf1vj28)

## Description of the data and file structure

This file contains microsatellite data for the 135 Cantabrian capercaillie individuals (listed in column INDV) included in the study \"Beyond abundance: the impact of sampling design on effective population size estimates in capercaillie\" (DOI: 10.1002/wlb3.01520).

### Files and variables

#### File: WB_capercaillie_Ne_dataset.xlsx

**Description:** The dataset provides genotypes at nine microsatellite loci (BG15, BG10, TUD4, TUT1, TTD6, TUD5, TTD2, TUT3, TUD2), with alleles coded in a three-digit format, together with sex information for each individual (column SEX_INDV; M = male, F = female, ? = unknown).

For spatial analyses, each individual was assigned to one or more of the three main valleys in the study area (Muniellos, Degaña, Hermo). Valley assignmen...,