I'd like to measure inbreeding in a puma population over the course of seven years. The number of individuals representing each year is highly variable (~30 to ~150). Should I compare a subset from each year to keep the sample size consistent?
Population size significantly affect the estimation of coefficient of inbreeding, so if the aim of the study is detect the change in the coefficient of inbreeding from generation to generation , we must maintain the effect size of the population .
Another factor affect the estimation , the male : female ratio and the control of contribution of the progeny of each parent in the next generation.
Good Luck
Are you sampling from live animals? Do you use any identification tags? Are some animals sampled repeatedly? What is the estimated population and how many are you sampling? Give us a bit more information about sampling strategy.
Thanks for the responses. The samples are from carcasses, so no repeat samples. I'm not sure about the identification tags (I didn't actually do the sampling myself), but I guess that doesn't matter since there are no repeats. I'm looking at temporal changes in the statewide population, which is estimated to be about 1,500 animals. It was suggested that the Wahlund effect could be biasing the statewide inbreeding estimates, so I might instead look at inbreeding and connectivity between regions.
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