Rachel S. McCrea and Byron J. T. Morgan, Analysis of Capture–Recapture Data

Abstract

Analysis of Capture–Recapture Data by McCrea and Morgan is an excellent, easy to read monograph about capture–recapture models. In this book, the authors provide a concise overview of traditional closed population capture–recapture models (Models M0, Mb, Mh, etc.), individual covariate models, and open population models such as the Cormack–Jolly– Seber, Jolly–Seber models, multi-state models, andmore recent developments such as occupancy models, state-space models, and integrated population models. The authors write “In this book we aim to cover the many modern developments in the area of capture–recapture and related models, and to set them in historical context of relevant research over the past 100 years.” The book does a good job of achieving this objective. And it is a very easy to read because it is well organized and the writing is clear and concise. I would recommend this book as a reference for the quantitative ecologist or statistician interested in knowing what’s out there. And I’m glad to have it on my bookshelf. The main topical chapters focus on specific classes of capture–recapture models and contain a mix of classical concepts and methods as well as more recent innovations. For example, the chapter on closed population models contains material on N-mixture models and also spatial capture–recapture models1. There is a strong emphasis on mark-recovery models which are important when band recoveries are available. I think chapters 11 and 12 are the strongest. Chapter 11, on state-space models (covering Gaussian time-series models and Kalman filtering), is not specifically a capture–recapture topic but sometimes used as a component of integrated population models and the concepts are of general interest in population modeling. This chapter also covers state-space formulations of CJS and