A group of trout that reside in streams of the desiccating lake
basins of southeastern Oregon differ markedly from other known
Salmo. Known commonly as the red-band trout, this fish was subjected
to chromosome analysis for comparison with other species of
western North American Salmo. The karyotype of the red-banded...
New approaches are needed to quantify and understand spatial patterns of stream fishes and their environment. Concepts in riverine ecology emphasize the importance of thermal zones and gradual longitudinal changes in physical habitat and biota, but little is known about spatial variability within the river continuum. I present a conceptual...
Depleted species of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) from the Northeast Pacific experience high discard mortality due to "barotrauma," induced from the rapid change in pressure during capture. Research suggests rockfish have the potential to survive barotrauma if immediately recompressed, but the potential for long-term recovery is unknown. In this project, we...
The research involved development of two ecological
simulation models to explain the complex dimensionality of
chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) life history
structure (represented by the age composition of the
spawning stock) and management difficulties entailed in the
complexity.
Since different sizes of chinook salmon are thought to
adapt differently to...
Conceptually, the dynamics of wood in streams can be viewed in terms of input and in-channel processes. Input processes are associated with both the riparian (tree fall, bank cutting, windthrow) and upslope forests (mass failures). In-channel processes include log breakage, movement, and decomposition. A mechanistic view of these processes is...
A generalized mathematical model of ecosystems is
developed. The model begins with the general class of
systems known as state-determined systems, in which the
time-derivative of each state variable is a function of some
subset of the set of all system state variables and
.environmental parameters. A formal basis is...
Adequate management and scientific investigation of ecosystems
depends on classification of landscape systems based on all significant
bio-physical and associated cultural properties. The present
classification is a hierarchical systems design that can be modeled in
terms of a natural system interacting with its level-specific
environment. A watershed system in this...
The critically endangered Maui's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) and the endangered Hector's dolphin (C. h. hectori) are endemic to the coastal waters of New Zealand, where their primary threat is fisheries-related mortality. The Maui's dolphin is among the most critically endangered cetaceans in the world, with its remnant population primarily...
Forecasts of the impacts of climate change have traditionally focused on individual species and their phenotypes, phenology, or distribution. However, shifts in species distributions and the resulting reorganization of community composition represent an important violation to the assumption of species acting in isolation. Whereas species may respond individualistically to climate...
The natural environment provides important services and benefits to peoples’ health and lives. Conversely, environmental disservices can have negative impacts on humans such as through pollution, chemical toxins, and climate change. The combination of environmental services and disservices encompass how human health and wellbeing, and the environment are connected. As...
The impact that pesticides may have had on the mortality rates and productivity rates of non-game birds during the last 25 years was evaluated by studying the population dynamics of 16 species. A mathematical model showing the relationships between population parameters that yielded stable populations was developed. The information needed...
The dissertation introduces community-based adaptive watershed management (CAWM) as a holistic conservation framework. The CAWM
framework integrates social and ecological suitability to achieve conservation outcomes. The core theoretical concepts consist of adaptive management, adoption-diffusion,
symbolic interactionism, community-based conservation, spatial analysis and watershed management. The CAWM framework is applied to the...
Long-term oceanographic and meteorological data were used to develop models that describe the observed variation in the recruitment of Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the California
Current region. The models that were found to best describe recruitment included both density-dependent factors and environmental factors. Models incorporating only density-dependent factors
accounted...
Biliary excretion has been of considerable interest in mammals
but has not been extensively studied in fish. To understand the
significance of biliary excretion in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri),
two studies were conducted.
The objective of the initial study was to evaluate the ability of
rainbow trout to excrete a...
Two indigenous species of burrowing shrimp inhabit and often dominate the intertidal zone of estuaries along the US West Coast, the ghost shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis, and the blue mud shrimp, Upogebia pugettensis. Both species are considered ecosystem engineers and play a role in maintaining estuarine health and ecosystem function. They...
The genetic basis of adaptation is complex as many fitness-related traits are quantitative and likely influenced by multiple genes with variable effects across different selective environments. One important adaptation for anadromous Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) is the time at which individuals return to natal breeding sites within a reproductive season....
Stocks of salmon are declining in the Pacific Northwest. Based on region-wide studies that list and categorize the status of salmon stocks (Nehlsen et al., 1991; Huntington et al., 1994; and Nawa, 1995), I analyze the watersheds where stocks of salmon spawn for several anthropogenic variables, most of which are...
Advances in mobile autonomous vehicles for oceanographic sensing provide new opportunities for passive acoustic monitoring of marine mammals. Acoustically equipped mobile autonomous platforms, including gliders, deep-water profiling floats, and drifting surface buoys can survey for a variety of marine mammal species over intermediate spatiotemporal scales. Additionally, such mobile platforms may...
Neuromuscular physiology has been extensively investigated
in several groups of vertebrates excluding fish. To
understand the nature of neuromuscular transmission in this
group, the response of the pectoral fin abductor muscle of
black bass (Micropterus salmoides) to nerve stimulation
under the influence of an anticho1inesterase agent was
studied. Diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP),...
The North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population has been increasing at an average annual rate of ~6% since the early 1990s. In northern Southeast Alaska alone, there are now more whales than estimated for the entire North Pacific several decades ago. An understanding of how this growing population is...
The groundfish trawl fishery operating off the coasts of Oregon
and Washington 1985-1987 caught six major assemblages of species
which could be treated as units in developing mixed-species
management plans. Eighty-one percent of the tows observed on
commercial vessels were consistently placed in one of the assemblage
designations using three...
In the western United States, bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) have suffered major die-offs in every state since the mid-1800s, and disease from domestic sheep (Ovis aries) has been a primary factor in these events. Beginning in the early 1900s, poly-factorial, poly-microbial pneumonia was identified as a major disease affecting bighorn...
Commercial whaling during the 20th century drastically reduced many populations of great whales in the Southern Hemisphere. The Antarctic blue whale, for example, is estimated to have been reduced to less than 0.1% of its original abundance based on catch records and population dynamic models. Despite this population bottleneck, several...
The extent of biological invasions, their role on the feeding of
native fishes and their impact on community stability were
investigated in Alsea Bay and Yaquina Bay, two estuaries on the
central Oregon coast, USA. Most nonindigenous species (NIS)
introduced in these intermediately invaded estuaries are
considered byproducts of culturing...
The use of heated seawater for enhancing the culture of Pacific salmon was investigated. Food consumption rate, gross food conversion efficiency, growth rate, and survival of chum (Oncorhynchus keta) and pink (O. gorbuscha} salmon fed to satiation were determined in relation to water temperature and body weight. Both species of...
This dissertation focuses on the predator-prey relationship between two species of avian predators, Caspian terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), and one of their important prey types, juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.), in the Columbia River estuary of Oregon and Washington states during the period 1998 – 2007. I...
I examined the avian biogeography of the islands of Lago Gatun, Panama, in an effort to better understand the effects of forest fragmentation in this biodiverse region, and specifically to understand the importance of fragment isolation and the mechanism behind its effects on tropical bird distribution. I combined exhaustive surveys...
A series of experiments with Aeromonas salmonicida and infectious
hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) were carried out to determine dynamics of the
spread of infection in chinook salmon (1.2-1.98g) and rainbow trout (1.2-3.1g). It was
found in experiments with A. salmonicida that fish infected by bath immersion became
infectious at 4...
The overall goal of this study was to identify multiple scales of habitat use and habitat electivity by redband/steelhead trout and define the limiting factors affecting the distribution patterns of this species during summer flows.
The main objective in chapter 2 was to identify the most important habitat associations that...
Despite relatively mild weather, black bears (Ursus americanus)
in southwestern Washington entered dens and remained for an average
of 126 days. Bears entered their dens during a 5-week period which
began on 21 October. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was found
among the average dates of den entrance of...
Anthropogenic activities have posed many threats to the oceans and marine life. Understanding how individuals are affected and physiologically respond to these threats is crucial and allows for management and conservation applications. I evaluated the overall health condition of a subpopulation of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) along the Oregon coast,...
Steelhead and rainbow trout are common names for marine-migratory (anadromous) and freshwater-resident forms of Oncorhynchus mykiss, a partially migratory salmonid fish. Anadromous and resident forms are sympatric and can produce offspring with a life history different from their own (i.e., steelhead parents can produce rainbow trout offspring and vice versa)....
Humans have drastically altered the physical habitat and food web structure of stream ecosystems. Two major impacts humans have had on Pacific Northwest streams are modification of streamside forests (as a result of agriculture, land development, and timber harvest), and declines in the return of wild anadromous salmon to headwater...
Reintroduction programs are increasingly being used to save animals from extinction and aid in their recovery. The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus), one of the most endangered birds in the world, is a remarkable example of how reintroduction programs can help rapidly increase a species' population numbers and range following a...
The Mahakam Delta which was once among the largest mangrove forests in Indonesia, has been subjected to dramatic changes in structure and function due to massive shifts from mangrove forest to shrimp ponds and oil and gas development. To understand the impacts of mangrove loss to the greenhouse gas (GHG)...
This study focuses in providing the knowledge on carbon (C) stocks, emission and ecosystem productivity related to land use/land cover change in tropical peatlands. The field research activities were conducted for about 17 months between August 2013 to December 2015, at Pematang Gadung peat dome (peat depth up to 10.5...
This dissertation addresses gaps of knowledge associated with how ecosystem carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions are affected by land use land cover change in tropical peatlands. This was the first study that paired peat swamp forests with oil palm plantations and analyzed site scale variation on greenhouse gas emissions....
After a 40-year absence from Oregon’s landscape, expanding gray wolf (Canis lupus) populations are reestablishing elements of interspecific competition with sympatric large carnivores, like cougars (Puma concolor). This presents new challenges for management of large carnivores and their ungulate prey populations (e.g., elk, Cervus canadensis nelsoni; mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus)...
Shallow lakes exist in either a clear or turbid state, with the clear state characterized by an abundance of aquatic macrophytes, diverse aquatic biota, low water column nutrients and phytoplankton biomass, whereas the turbid state is characterized by the opposite. These two distinct states are maintained by reinforcing (positive) feedback...
The present study investigated the neurocrine and neuroendocrine control of locomotor activity, habitat choice, social behavior, and migratory behavior in juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). This was achieved by the manipulation of three neurotransmitter systems; serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), y-amino-n-butyric acid (GABA) and the neuropeptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). Chemicals were...
I investigated changes in plasma cortisol concentration over time in juvenile salmonids subjected to various stressors that might be encountered in their normal life cycle. This work was directed at finding a general indicator for stress in fish that could be used be used to aid fisheries research and management....
The performance of an organism or organismic subsystem is
the result of the interaction between the performance capacity of
the system and Its environment. Environmental conditions can
stress an organism and thus affect it's performance. In this
study, three whole organism performances were examined: critical
swimming speed, fatigue time and...
Detection of L-serine and D,L-alanine by juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) was measured in a two-choice Y-trough. Threshold concentration for olfactory
detection of L-serine was 10-8 M for zero-age parr, 1O-7 M for yearling parr, 10-5 M for smolts in late April-early May, and 10-6 M for smolts in June....
Soil, water, and climatic classification systems are reviewed as
background for the construction of a classification system for earthen
aquaculture ponds. The physical and chemical properties of important
soil types are also reviewed because of the critical role that the
soil plays in earthen pond systems. A pond classification system...
A hierarchical classification system of Iceland's
watersheds and rivers is presented. The classification
is based on Iceland's substrate, climate, water, biota,
and human cultural influences. The geological formations
of Iceland are very different in character depending on
their age and formation history. Three major types of
formations occur: Tertiary, Plio-Pleistocene,...
Globally, the number of threatened species is increasing and conserving them is a high priority to the scientific community. Assessing the status of these protected species is challenging due to missing, contested, and or contradictory data streams. Integrated models (IMs) provide a statistical framework for combining disparate data sources to...
For my research goals I addressed the theoretical importance of
competition in habitat selection of 2 quails and examined the use of
resources in peripheral and core areas. Methodological objectives
were to determine cover and food selection of Texas bobwhite (Colinus
virginianus texanus) and chestnut-bellied scaled quail (Callipepla
squamata castanogastris)...
Seabirds are an integral component of marine ecosystems, however, because humans typically observe only snapshots of their lives at sea, our understanding of seabird foraging ecology is often limited. A more complete understanding of the ecological roles of seabirds and identification of critical foraging habitats requires the ability to follow...
California's Central Valley agricultural landscapes provide several important wintering regions for Pacific Flyway sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) populations; however, the value of those regions is being compromised by urban expansion, other developments, and conversions to incompatible crop types. Greater (G. c. tabida) and lesser sandhill cranes (G. c. canadensis) both...
The federally threatened northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is the focus of intensive conservation efforts that have led to much forested land being reserved as habitat for the owl and associated wildlife species throughout the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Recently, however, a relatively new threat to spotted...
Many resource management controversies indicate
disagreement about the possible intended and unintended effects
of management actions on ecosystems. Researchers have
documented a variety of negative effects on specific ecosystems, e.
g. the degradation of salmonid habitat due to mass wasting
(Hagans et al. 1986). While the effects of some management...
Plasma concentrations of cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone that
is immunosuppressive in mammals, increase during stress and
smoltification of salmonids. There was a reduction in the ability of
lymphocytes to generate antibody producing cells (APC) in vivo
concurrent with increased plasma cortisol titers during smoltification
of coho salmon (Oncorhvnchus kisutch). Cortisol...
Successful fertilization of fresh steelhead trout, pink salmon, kokanee, chum salmon, fall chinook salmon, and coho salmon eggs with cryopreserved sperm is reported in this thesis. A mean percent fertilization greater than 50 percent was achieved for all species tested except chum salmon. Differences in sperm viability from donor males...
As part of a hierarchical approach to classifying watersheds and stream habitats based on geomorphic and geologic criteria, we defined ten classes of fluvial and lacustrine habitats at the scale of valley segments. Valley segments are landscape units which encompass surface waters and the adjacent floodplains and hillslopes with which...
Most reserves fail to capture the habitat heterogeneity necessary to maintain viable populations of wide-ranging species. Methods to determine defensible dimensions of reserves and reserve networks are needed. The primary goal of this study was to develop such methods for lowland tropical forests by examining habitat- and spatial-use patterns of...
The lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is an important groundfish species in both recreational and commercial fisheries of the Northeastern Pacific. It is a large, fast-growing, generalist predator of invertebrates and fishes. In response to concerns that lingcod may limit populations of rockfishes (Sebastes spp.), I compared the diets of 375 adult...
A reliable, easy, and inexpensive method for determination of
molecular hydrocyanic acid (HCN) in solutions of simple and complex
metal cyanides is described. The method was used to determine
molecular HCN concentrations as low as 0.005 milligram per liter,
and can be used for determination of even lower levels. It...
In the present study, the potential of low-melting point lipids, namely methyl palmitate (MP) and menhaden stearine (MS), were studied for delivery of water-soluble materials to fish larvae. Addition of the solid emulsifier, sorbitan monopalmitate (SMP) resulted in higher RE compared to the liquid emulsifier sorbitan sesquioleate (SSO). Additions of...
In grasslands, grazing by large ungulates can influence vegetation structure, composition, primary productivity, and ultimately, ecosystem functioning. While grazing represents a complex disturbance, grazing intensity largely determines the effects of
grazing on vegetation. Structural and compositional changes in the plant community caused by grazing could have bottom-up effects on species...
Chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, returning to the Yukon River basin and other large river systems in western Alaska have declined dramatically since the late 1990s. This continuing trend has raised concerns over the future status of the returns, and severely impacted commercial and subsistence fisheries within the drainage. Management is...
Sex steroids, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH),
luteinizing hormone (LH) and gonadotropin releasing hormone
(GnRH) were measured in monosex and mixed sex populations of
rainbow trout during early development. Steroids declined
following fertilization, increased at hatch, then fell and
remained constant thereafter. Trends toward differences in
steroids between males and females...
Large dams and their respective reservoirs can provide renewable energy and water security, but also profoundly alter riverine ecosystems. In the Pacific Northwest, dams and reservoirs cause discontinuities in river networks that have been particularly problematic for anadromous fishes. As barriers to the upstream and downstream migration of anadromous fishes,...
Juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were experimentally infected with Renibacterium salmoninarum (Rs), the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD), to investigate the effects of BKD on three aspects of juvenile salmonid performance: (1) predator avoidance ability; (2) smoltification; and (3) physiological responses to stress. For these experiments, fish with...
Sympatric steelhead and resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) are known
to exist in many rivers throughout the Pacific Rim. Whether sympatric steelhead and
resident rainbow trout are polymorphisms within a single gene pool or two reproductively
isolated populations has significant implications concerning the study and conservation of
this polytypic species....
In 1976 and 1977 I examined three broad problems associated with the recruitment of young mallards, Anas platyrhynchos, in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota. The three problems studied were: the effects of interspecific nest parasitism on production; the chronology and magnitude of total-brood loss during the brood-rearing period;...
Marine bivalves are globally recognized as ecologically and commercially valuable species and, for over a century, researchers have been studying their feeding, digestion and other related physiological processes. These studies have shown that marine bivalves have complex feeding and particle processing behaviors to maximize growth in dynamic environmental conditions. Additionally,...
Juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)) and aquatic invertebrates were subjected to experimentally increased, but naturally fluctuating, temperatures in a model stream channel. Coho of the 1969, 1970, and 1971 year classes were reared in the heated model stream and in an unheated control stream, both located at the Oak...
Relative effects of light, nutrients, and grazing on primary production were investigated in streams in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and in laboratory streams. Relative magnitudes of primary production and associated processes were examined for one year in a stream that flowed through a clearcut and an old-growth forest in...
From 1996 through 1998 I collected mature female black rockfish off Oregon and examined ovaries and otoliths to estimate weekly, age-specific larval production. In all reproductive seasons, older black rockfish extruded larvae earlier in the season, followed by progressively younger fish. Each year, beginning in May, I collected young-of-the-year (YOY)...
Sampling error associated with estimates of species composition and age composition
of commercial groundfish landings in Oregon from 1989 to 1991 is documented to evaluate
the impact of variable landing data on fisheries management and monitoring programs. The
statistical reliability and bias associated with two multistage sampling designs are
investigated...
Temperature was elevated approximately 4° C in a model stream relative to an unheated, but otherwise similar control stream. The streams were located outdoors, received identical amounts of exchange water from a nearby creek, and followed natural diurnal and seasonal temperature cycles Juvenile spring chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were introduced...
Sexual maturation and sex differentiation comprise facets of a
common theme: reproduction. The endocrine system regulates many
of the critical physiological processes necessary for reproduction and
offers a framework within which technologies can be developed for
controlling sexual maturation and sex differentiation. The studies
described in this thesis were undertaken...
Effects of diet on food energy utilization by grass
carp fed aquatic plants or formulated diets with varied
lipid sources and levels are presented in three
manuscripts. Significant effects of diet on food
consumption, digestion, growth and muscle fatty acid (FA)
composition of fingerling diploid grass carp fed aquatic
macrophytes...
Palmaria mollis (Pacific dulse) is increasingly being used in land-based marine aquaculture. This work elucidates nutrient, inorganic carbon, light, salinity, and temperature requirements of P. mollis as food for abalone species. Nutrient additions every 5 to 7 days resulted in no significant difference in P. mollis growth compared with daily...
In the wild, marine fish larvae feed on copepods and other planktonic organisms.
Copepods are often considered the "gold standard" for meeting the nutritional needs of cultured marine fish larvae; however, in captivity, marine fish larvae are generally fed cultured live prey, i.e. rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis) and/or Artemia sp., until...
Food habits and levels of organochlorine compounds, lead, and mercury in resident and wintering bald eagles were studied in southcentral Oregon and California, 1979-83. Food habits were assessed by examination of castings from winter communal roosts, identification of 2938 prey items found at nest sites and foraging areas, and observations...
Large burrowing owl (Aihene cunicularia) populations exist in areas of intensive agriculture in California, and pesticide exposure has been identified as a potential threat to population persistence. I evaluated breeding season use of agricultural fields by adult male owls using radio telemetry, and examined egg contaminant residues to estimate population-level...
Riparian forests provide a myriad of ecosystem functions for adjacent streams and rivers, and due to these linkages, changes in riparian forest conditions can have direct implications for stream ecosystems. Resource managers in the coast redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California (USA) are actively thinning second-growth stands to accelerate...
All animals that interact with fishing gear are not necessarily captured, and all animals that are captured are not necessarily retained. Fishing practices and gear configuration, management regulations, and markets dictate which animals ultimately are retained or discarded. The impact of a fishery and the efficacy of management regulations can...
Identifying appropriate units for conservation requires knowledge of evolutionary
patterns and risks of managing at different geographical and genetic scales. I examined
genetic diversity at different geographical scales among 11,400 rainbow trout
(Oncorhynchus mykiss) from 243 locations in 13 major river basins throughout much of
their range and among coho...
A study of the population ecology of Columbia River fall chinook
salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum), was made in an attempt
to determine the cause of a serious decline in this run which occurred
in the early 1950's. Fluctuations in abundance of major salmon runs
the North Pacific were examined to...
From 1998-2000, laboratory studies were conducted to examine factors that impact saltwater-entry behavior and saltwater preference (SWP) of juvenile chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. These factors included bacterial kidney disease, stress and the presence of trout, O. mykiss. An additional study investigated the orientation of the startle response of chinook salmon...