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 Number of Sightings. Relative Abundance, and Population Density Estimates 



Wildlife populations were compared using three measures: number of sightings, relative 

 abundances, and population density estimates. Except for the collared peccary, the number of sightings 

 by taxa was determined for each forest successional stage by calculating the number of individual 

 sightings per 100 km of census transects. For the collared peccary, although 10 animals were observed 

 (one sighting of a single individual and one sighting of at least nine individuals in a single group), these 

 observations were combined and treated as two sightings. The number of sightings per taxa were not 

 compared statistically between forest successional stages due to small sample sizes. 



Relative abundance values were used to compare abundance differences statistically between 

 forest successional stages. These values were determined by calculating, for each taxon, the mean 

 number of sightings per transect per kilometer censused. A grand mean and standard error measure for 

 each of the three forest successional stages were calculated using the four transect replicates. For 

 convenience, these means were multiplied by the constant 10,000. These values were analyzed 

 statistically using the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test. 



Population density estimates (number of individuals/km^) were determined using King's 

 method, based on the distance between the animal and the spotter (cf., Bumham et al., 1980; 

 Schenmitz, 1980). These estimates were summarized by forest successional stage, but not compared 

 statistically due to small sample sizes. 



Since the number of individuals sighted per taxon during the censuses was relatively low, only 

 four taxa could be analyzed quantitatively: squurels, coatis, kinkajous, and plain chachalacas. In order 

 to increase the sample size for comparisons of relative abundance and population density estimates 

 between forest successional stages, I summarize the data by taxonomic groups, as follows: marsupials 

 and edentates, rodents, carnivores, artiodactyls, and birds. In addition, the data were summarized by 

 game versus nongame status, as follows: game mammals, nongame mammals, game birds, and 

 nongame birds. Thus, three types of comparisons were made. 



