Integrated population models: Past, present and future

Background/Question/Methods

Demographic data used to construct demographic models are heterogeneous, and of multiple provenance. These can include population counts, capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data, data on reproduction, etc. Sometimes, all these demographic data are collected in the same population. Considered separately, each of these datasets provides useful information on population size or vital rates such as survival, fecundity or immigration/emigration but inference is limited when component datasets are compared. Indeed, population sizes fluctuate from year to year due to all of these processes together: the loss and gain of individuals through survival, fecundity, immigration and emigration.

Results/Conclusions

These data sources share common demographic information about the studied population. Integrated Population Models (IPM) make efficient use of these different types of demographic data by jointly analyzing them. For instance, census data and CMR data can be analyzed jointly. Here, we provide an historical overview of the use of the IPMs in the literature and discuss the advantages and the possibilities offered by this integrated approach. We highlight specific areas where IPMs offer an advantage over other demographic methods, and how they can also capitalize on methods such as matrix population models and integral projection models.