In the Pacific Northwest ecoregion of North America, sculpins represent a major constituent of freshwater assemblages in coastal rivers. Based on their prevalence and abundance, sculpins are likely important ecologically, yet little is known of their interactions with co-occurring species, such as widely studied salmon and trout (salmonines). In this...
Since their range expansion into the Pacific Northwest, anecdotal evidence suggests that northern barred owls (Strix varia varia) may be displacing northern spotted owls (Strix occidentalis caurina). My objectives were to characterize barred owl distribution and population increase in Oregon, investigate spotted owl territory performance before and after barred owl...
Elton (1927) realized that, intuitively at least, nature was complex and stable. And that the last property contributed to the first. This idea was challenged mathematically by Gardner and Ashby (1970) and May (1972), and in the years following various models have attempted to reconcile these opposing views. Unlike previous...
Juvenile steelhead are known to associate with shiner groups, though they also compete for food. Steelhead form dominance hierarchies within cohorts and aggressively defend feeding territories against all other fish. This study focused on the differential effect of shiner competition on steelhead of different social standing.
Survival of subordinate juvenile...
The amount and quality of competition among
individuals in developing plant communities is an important factor determining community structure, composition and development. In perennial plant communities, this competition is reflected by shifts in carbon allocation among plant parts and can result in long-term structural differences between neighboring individuals. This study...
Two major objectives were accomplished.
1. A summary of the work done during 1970-71 on a single species intra-specific competition model was written. 2. A multispecies predator-prey model, incorporating the competition mechanism of the single-species model, was developed almost to completion. The single species model is a computer program that...
A technique for estimating gross primary production and respiration of periphyton communities, in situ, in small turbulent streams was developed using a photosynthesis-respiration chamber in a modified "light and dark bottle" method. Trays containing portions of the substrate bearing the benthic community were embedded in the stream, level with the...
Oregon's only remaining non-reservoir population of adfluvial bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) is found in Odell Lake, in the headwaters of the Deschutes River. The population size is unknown, but appears to be quite small. Limited spawning and rearing habitats, combined with the effects of introduced species and other anthropogenic changes...
Understanding prey quality and prey selection by predators is critical for management efforts aimed at identification and protection of essential habitats and prey. Marine predators must make daily foraging choices in a heterogenous and dynamic environment in order to meet the high energetic demands of migration, reproduction and foraging. With...
