Migration and spawning phenology of Pacific Salmon is linked to the hydroregime, and thought to be triggered by increases in river discharge and decreases in water temperature. However, little data exists that describes direct fine-scale linkages between the hydroregime and spawning in Coho Salmon. This study evaluated the spatial and...
Over-winter growth of juvenile salmonids may be linked to ocean survival and thus species persistence. Diet, growth, and prey available to juvenile coho, Oncorhynchus kisutch, were examined from December 2004 to April 2005 in four tributaries of the West Fork Smith River (WFSR), Oregon. Juvenile coho growth rate and condition...
Large wood (LW) pieces are recognized as an important habitat component for salmon freshwater habitat. As such, they are often used in stream habitat restoration practices despite a lack of knowledge about their impacts on spatial and temporal hydraulic characteristics relevant to fish habitat. In this thesis we present results...
The introduction of non-native species can negatively impact native species through reduced genetic fitness resulting from hybridization. The lack of spatiotemporal data of hybrids occurrences makes assessing hybridization risk difficult. Here, I developed a spatially-explicit GIS Hybridization Risk Model (HRM) between native ESA-listed Bull Trout and introduced Brook Trout by...
Since the 1964 earthquake and geologic uplift, beavers (Castor canadensis) have expanded their historic range from the inland (outwash plain) Copper River Delta, Alaska to the once tidally influenced areas of the outer area (uplifted marsh). The uplift presents a unique opportunity to observe beaver expansion, habitat selection and influence...
Parasites are ubiquitous members of ecological communities, capable of contributing to the decline of vulnerable populations. Therefore, monitoring parasite level is a critical component for host management. Molecular tools, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), can be valuable additions to monitoring protocols that assess parasitic disease risk to hosts....
Nares Strait is one of three main passages of the Canadian Archipelago that
channels freshwater from the Arctic Ocean to the North Atlantic. There are very few
observations regarding the role of this region on the present day Arctic freshwater budget,
and even less regarding the changes in freshwater fluxes...