Combining counts of unmarked individuals and demographic data using intregrated population models

Integrated population models are powerful models that can be used to jointly analyze population counts and data that are specific on one or more demographic rates. Joint analysis of all available datasets has the advantage that demographic parameters for which no explicit data are available can often be estimated and that the precision of parameter estimates is improved. Both advantages are a direct consequence of the more complete extraction of the information in the data. Population count data, which are required for all integrated population models as defined here, contain information about all demographic processes operating in the study population. A key part of an integrated population model is a state-transition model which links age- or stage-specific population sizes with demographic rates. Thus, integrated population models combine different models such as capture-recapture models, regression models, and matrix projection models, and can be viewed as a unifying framework for population analyses. I demonstrate applications of these models for temporally variable environments, to model density dependence and illustrate their use for population viability analyses.