Anticipated Climate Warming Effects on Bull Trout Habitats and Populations Across the Interior Columbia River Basin

2007 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 1552-1565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce E. Rieman ◽  
Daniel Isaak ◽  
Susan Adams ◽  
Dona Horan ◽  
David Nagel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
River Basin ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Bull Trout

Role of climate and invasive species in structuring trout distributions in the interior Columbia River Basin, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 988-1008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth J. Wenger ◽  
Daniel J. Isaak ◽  
Jason B. Dunham ◽  
Kurt D. Fausch ◽  
Charles H. Luce ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Regime ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Climate Warming ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Bull Trout

Recent and projected climate warming trends have prompted interest in impacts on coldwater fishes. We examined the role of climate (temperature and flow regime) relative to geomorphology and land use in determining the observed distributions of three trout species in the interior Columbia River Basin, USA. We considered two native species, cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii ) and bull trout ( Salvelinus confluentus ), as well as nonnative brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ). We also examined the response of the native species to the presence of brook trout. Analyses were conducted using multilevel logistic regression applied to a geographically broad database of 4165 fish surveys. The results indicated that bull trout distributions were strongly related to climatic factors, and more weakly related to the presence of brook trout and geomorphic variables. Cutthroat trout distributions were weakly related to climate but strongly related to the presence of brook trout. Brook trout distributions were related to both climate and geomorphic variables, including proximity to unconfined valley bottoms. We conclude that brook trout and bull trout are likely to be adversely affected by climate warming, whereas cutthroat trout may be less sensitive. The results illustrate the importance of considering species interactions and flow regime alongside temperature in understanding climate effects on fish.

Long-term population dynamics and conservation risk of migratory bull trout in the upper Columbia River basin

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1960-1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan P. Kovach ◽  
Jonathan B. Armstrong ◽  
David A. Schmetterling ◽  
Robert Al-Chokhachy ◽  
Clint C. Muhlfeld
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Columbia River ◽  
Columbia River Basin ◽  
Bull Trout ◽  
Regional Patterns ◽  
Regional Population ◽  
Dynamic Metrics

We used redd count data from 88 bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) populations in the upper Columbia River basin to quantify local and regional patterns in population dynamics, including adult abundance, long-term trend, and population synchrony. We further used this information to assess conservation risk of metapopulations using eight population dynamic metrics associated with persistence. Local population abundances were generally low (<20 redds annually) and the majority of trends were either stable (85%) or declining (13%). Evidence of synchrony among populations was apparent but not related to fluvial distance between streams. Variability in annual abundances was 1.4–2.5 times lower in metapopulations than local populations, indicating moderate portfolio effects across the regional stock complex. Importantly, most metrics of conservation risk were uncorrelated with one another, emphasizing that multiple statistics describing population dynamics at various scales are needed for monitoring and assessing recovery. We provide a composite description of conservation risk based on local and regional population dynamics that can help inform conservation management decisions for bull trout and other freshwater fishes.

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