Population Estimation Population A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time How does a population differ from a community? A population refers to one group of organisms in a particular area A community refers to all the populations of organisms in a particular area Sea Otter Observations They are cute! They are FUN! They are cuddly! ..eh.not really. What are your real observations? Why is it important for us to know the populations of the organisms among us? Remember, we are all connected in the great circle of life Lets take a field trip to Glacier Bay, Alaska How do I determine the size of the sea otter population? SCIENTISTS: Use the capture-tag-recapture method By capturing otters, tagging them, and placing them back in the wild we can estimate their population size. Complete your procedure to discover how many sea otters live in Glacier Bay!