In this thesis, we examined the effects of the exposures to anthropogenic pollutants on the fish, primarily juvenile chinook salmon, immune system using newly and recently developed immune assays. In addition, we developed a new assay for measuring immunocompetence of fish. In the first chapter, the Alamar Blue assay was...
In order to evaluate the shallow stratigraphy along the southern Cascadia abyssal margin and northern California abyssal plain, CHIRP subbottom profiles capable of imaging individual turbidite beds in the upper tens of meters of the subsurface were collected. Reflectors imaged with the 3.5 kHz CHIRP subbottom data represent turbidite beds...
The ability to non-destructively assess fish condition and subsequently track fish behavior and survival can be vital in understanding natural and anthropogenic stressors and sources of mortality, especially in populations of fish listed as threatened or endangered. I investigated the use of a quick, non-lethal, external examination technique to assess...
Juvenile Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) leave the natal reach at different times and move downstream at different rates which can increase their productivity by allowing them to utilize habitats on different temporal scales and spreading risk of localized stochastic events. This life history diversity can also allow fish to adapt...
Breeding ecology and behavior were investigated in a field study of three sympatric anuran amphibians in the Oregon Cascade Mountains: the western toad (Bufo
boreas), the Cascades frog (Rana cascadae) and the Pacific treefrog (Hyla regilla). A comprehensive study of the western toad mating system was conducted at three populations...
