Program RDSURVIV: an estimation tool for capture-recapture data collected under Pollock's robust design

Several papers have demonstrated the advantages of collecting capture-recap ture data using subsamples (i.e. Pollack's robust design). Compared with a standard design (i.e. one sample per period), this approach (1) permits the estimation of more demographic parameters and (2) in many cases produces m ore efficient estimators. Program SURVIV is a powerful tool for computing p arameter estimates under the robust design. However multinomial models deve loped for the robust design require cells for each possible capture history that occurs across the subsamples within a period. This makes the process of entering cell probabilities in SURVIV very tedious and subject to errors . Program RDSURVIV combines SURVIV with a front end that converts capture h istories taken under the robust design to the proper input format for estim ating parameters under a general model, nlm builds that model. This model p ermits Markovian temporary emigration, trap response in capture probabiliti es and time variation in all parameters. Program RDSURVIV also automaticall y computes estimates under a series of submodels, but also permits the user to specify other submodels.