The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) in Prince William Sound, Alaska provided impetus for a great deal of research into the ecosystems of the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Buried within the multitude of resulting impacts, which included hundreds of thousands of oiled seabirds and dramatic ecosystem shifts in the...
Over recent decades, the marine ecosystems of Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska have experienced the concurrent effects of a major anthropogenic disturbance, the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS), and a dynamic atmospheric-oceanic environment. Studies of top marine consumers can provide insights into processes of ecosystem change. Using data collected...
The Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba) is now the only species of marine bird in Prince William Sound (PWS), Alaska that is listed as "not recovering" on the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) Trustee Council's Injured Resources List and has shown no sign of population recovery. During the 20 years since...
The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) population in Prince William Sound has failed to recover from declines that occurred both before and after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). Post-spill studies of pigeon guillemot breeding biology have identified three potential factors limiting recovery: (1) predation on eggs and nestlings; (2) declines...
I investigated the relationship between harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) behavior and lack of recovery from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. First, I evaluated the hypothesis that harlequin ducks in winter have little flexibility to increase foraging time in response to disturbance because they are constrained...
Range, areas of concentrated activity, and dispersal characteristics for juvenile Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus in the endangered western population (west of 144° W in the Gulf of Alaska) are poorly understood. This study quantified space use by analyzing post-release telemetric tracking data from satellite transmitters externally attached to n...
Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) were observed during
the summers of 1979 and 1980 in Sawmill Bay, northeast Prince William
Sound, Alaska. Harlequins were associated with a short, medium gradient,
non-glacial stream (Stellar Creek) also used by salmon. Although
harlequins nested along Stellar Creek, they apparently did not establish
home ranges...
The use of some age determination methods may result in the
incorrect age structure of fish populations. This in turn may lead
to incorporation of inappropriate data into models used for stock
management. Otoliths are commonly used for determining the age of
fishes, and ages based on the whole otoliths...
The first objective of this study was to quantify the intensity of space use of 70 juvenile (12-26 months old) Steller sea lions (SSLs) from the western Distinct Population Segment (DPS) in the Kenai Fjord(KF)/Prince William Sound (PWS) region of Alaska as derived from externally attached ARGOS satellite transmitter tags....
The average size and age of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha) caught in commercial fisheries along the Pacific Coast
of North America have decreased substantially in this century. These
declines might be caused in part by changes in size and age at
maturity within the stocks contributing to those fisheries. Upriver...
Studies were conducted during late winter and spring of 1970 to
establish the extent of spawning of Pacific herring (Clupea harengus
pallasi Valenciennes) in the Yaquina estuary, and to define the degree
of egg mortality on certain substrates. Routine surveillance of the
north shore of the estuary provided information on...
The distribution of American martens (Martes americana) within Sagehen Creek Experimental Forest (SCEF), Tahoe National Forest, California has been periodically documented from 1980–1993. This area has been the location of nine marten surveys, each involving a systematic detection/nondetection survey on the same grid. These data are an unprecedented time series...
I investigated Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) breeding at colonies on the Columbia Plateau (southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon), with emphasis on the breeding and foraging ecology of Caspian terns nesting at colonies in the mid-Columbia River. I focused research at colonies where Caspian terns foraged on juvenile salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.)...
Estuarine residence and growth of juvenile chum salmon
(Oncorhynchus keta) from Netarts Bay, Oregon were estimated
from daily-formed growth increments of sagittal otoliths
which are distinguishable from accretion patterns formed
during freshwater residence. Estuarine residence time was
inversely related to the average size at which juvenile chum
salmon entered Netarts...
Between 1970 and 1974, data were collected on the distribution and biology of the spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) in Oregon. One-hundred and sixteen pairs and seven single birds were located. Spotted owls occurred throughout the mountains of western Oregon and on the east slope of the Cascade Range at least...
Resident bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) may be particularly vulnerable to human related disturbance, however very few studies have focused on resident bull trout populations. The abundance of bull trout is one measure of the strength and potential for persistence of a population. Habitat characteristics may influence resident bull trout abundance...
A number of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) populations are at risk throughout Oregon, including five populations that are federally listed as threatened or endangered. However, little is known about behavior and survival of these fish as they transition from freshwater to seawater. We investigated whether estuarine survival varies on a temporal...
Ecologists have studied the responses of pelagic ecosystems
to varying levels of nutrient loading and fish predation on many
different scales ranging from small experimental enclosures to
whole lake systems. There are recurring patterns of response to
these two variables, which are generally predictable on the basis
of biogeographic, behavioral,...
Laboratory stream communities in simulated old growth second
order streams were sampled June 1984 and June 1985 to advance an
understanding of their organization and development, and their
response to an environmental perturbance, the toxicant dieldrin. An
interpenetrating hierarchical view of habitats and community
subsystems was taken to conceptualize community...
A theoretical framework for economic fishery management was
developed. Extensive isocline analysis of a general fishery model
yielded a detailed look at the possible equilibrium behavior of a
system that was allowed to vary in terms of the levels of its
environmental parameters, its composition, and the response functions
governing...
Classification of Streams and stream habitats is useful for research involving establishment of monitoring stations, determining local impacts of land use practices, generalization from site-specific data, and assessment of basin-wide, cumulative impacts of human activities on streams and their biota. This thesis presents a framework for a hierarchical classification system,...
Experiments were carried out in fall and winter, 1990
and spring and summer, 1991 , to determine growth and
mortality of juvenile Pacific oysters {Crassostrea gigas)
in effluent from cultured coho salmon {Oncorhynchus
kisutch) , and effluent from salmon in which the red
macroalga Palmaria mollis was cultured. Ambient sea...
To understand the influence of selective harvesting on
the adaptive capacity of fish populations in changing
environments, a computer simulation model was developed. In
the model, hypothetical populations were composed of five
different life histories, which were genetically determined.
Each life history type had its own rate of survival and...
The purpose of this research was to examine the
effects of fishing on life history parameters of the spiny
lobster, Panulirus homarus. The study areas selected had
different levels of fishing pressure but relatively similar
habitats. The lowest fishing effort was found in Hadbin
while the highest fishing effort was...
Juvenile fall chinook salmon were acclimated to full strength sea water at 66, 73, and 80 days after hatching. Survival in sea water for 14 days was used as the criterion for successful acclimation. The growth of salmon acclimated to sea water was slower over the period of observation (134...
Although nearshore macroinvertebrates are integral members of high
mountain lentic systems, knowledge of ecological factors influencing their
distributions is limited. Factors affecting distributions of nearshore
macroinvertebrates were investigated, including microhabitat use and
vertebrate predation, in the oligotrophic lakes of North Cascades National
Park Service Complex, Washington, USA, and the conformity...
The restoration of rivers and streams should be based on a
strong conceptual framework. Streams are developing systems. As
such, streams exhibit temporal behaviors that change with changing
stream environments. Underlying the dynamic development of streams is
potential capacity. Streams express this capacity as an array of
habitats over time...
The eastern margin of the Eastern North Pacific Ocean
was classified into physiographic regions based on a suite
of physical characteristics. Information on cultural and
biological characteristics of this area was meshed with this
classification. The result was a classification of the
Eastern North Pacific into natural-cultural systems whose
boundaries...
The long-toed salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum)
is the top vertebrate predator in fishless high-elevation
lakes in North Cascades National Park Service Complex
(NOCA), Washington. The purpose of this research was to
determine the effects of physico-chemical factors and
introduced trout on abundance and behavior of A.
macrodactylum larvae. Although high-elevation lakes...
To best manage Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery and minimize any negative impacts that the current hatchery program may be having on Endangered Species Act-listed salmonids in the Eagle Creek Basin, I determined if wild fish are being displaced from preferred habitats by hatchery salmonids Oncorhynchus spp. This thesis had...
The Willamette River flows north between the Cascade Mountains and Coast Range of western Oregon within a 29,728-km² basin. The fish community in the geologically young basin consists of 36 native species, but introductions of non-native fishes have added 33 additional species for a total of 69 fish species. During...
Rapid adaptation and evolution based on standing genetic variation and novel mutations is likely to be one of the primary ways that species survive the widespread anthropogenic environmental changes expected of the next century. Three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are known to be capable of extremely quick, dramatic adaptation in response...
This study was an investigation of lotic macroinvertebrate distribution in northeastern Oregon at two different spatial and biological scales. Examination of assemblages at a limited spatial scale revealed relationships with natural and disturbance gradients and led to questions about distribution of a population at broader spatial scales. In a 16...
The effects of exposure to suspended silt, kaolin and fuller's
earth on growth and condition of Pacific oysters, 16 months of age,
were studied. The exposure apparatus maintained a continuous flow
of turbid water through chambers containing test oysters. Additional
studies measured the filtration rates of oysters exposed to suspended...
The species compositions and densities of the littoral and pelagic zooplankton
assemblages in Crater Lake were compared. The littoral and pelagic zooplankton
assemblages of most lakes are typically different due to different habitat conditions in the
two zones. The littoral zone of Crater Lake lacks many of the habitat characteristics,...
Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) rearing in lakes and reservoirs have been known to become heavily infected with an ectoparasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis). Little is known about the factors that affect the parasite infection prevalence and intensity. However, previous research suggests that the parasite may negatively affect the fitness and survival...
In the fall through spring of 2002/03 and 2003/04, the composition of fish and amphibian communities were examined in intermittent streams in the upper Willamette river basin in western Oregon. I recorded standard aquatic habitat variables and water nutrient concentrations (nitrate and phosphate) and correlated them with fish and amphibian...
Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) and Brandt’s cormorants (P. penicillatus) nest sympatrically in a large mixed-species colony on East Sand Island (ESI) in the Columbia River estuary. Ecological theory predicts that such morphologically similar species will partition prey resources when faced with resource limitations. During the summer of 2014, I investigated...
Bullfrogs were introduced into Oregon in the early 1900s and have become widespread members of many wetland communities. Little is known of their ecology outside their native range, although they may play a role in the current declines observed in native herpetofauna. I analyzed the diets of 401 bullfrogs from...
The Kittlitz's murrelet (Brachyramphus brevirostris) is a rare member of the seabird family Alcidae that breeds in coastal areas of Alaska and Beringian Russia. The species belongs to the genus Brachyramphus, an unusual seabird taxon in which all three extant species nest non-colonially, situating their nests up to 75 km...
This thesis provides the first general description of the natural variation in age
structure, growth rates, and survival in headwater populations of coastal cutthroat
trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii from western Oregon, and a subsequent
synthesis of these life-history characteristics across the range of the subspecies.
Age, growth, and survival were...
The rainbow trout population in Elder Creek, Oregon was
studied between June 1965 and November 1966. The physical characteristics
of the stream during the summer season were described.
Rainbow trout were captured in each of three sections on the stream
by electrofishing and were tagged and measured. Population size,
mortality,...
The movements of a population of adult sockeye salmon
(Oncorhynchus nerka) were followed in a small tributary of Brooks
Lake, Alaska until spawning was nearly complete in 1963. The objectives
of the study were to describe the movements of sockeye
salmon on the spawning ground of an entire small stream,...