Closed mark-recapture models to estimate species richness: An example using data on epigeal spiders

Abstract

Species richness is a fundamental ecological property. The problem of estimating the number of species is quite similar to that of estimating the population size of a single species. Some authors of mark-recapture statistics have proposed using some of these methods to estimate species richness. This necessitates understanding how the recording probabilities of individuals differ from those of species. In particular, the species of a species pool are likely to exhibit a wide range of recording probabilities. Depending on sampling conditions, temporal or spatial variation in species detection probability may also occur, making model M th estimators particularly useful. Empirical detection probabilities and estimates of species numbers using three coverage, one point, and two jackknife estimators are presented for series of spatial and temporal trapping occasions of epigeal spiders.