The goal of my dissertation was to explore how scale influences stream restoration prioritization strategies for an anadromous species and identify influential uncertainties that exist at different scales. My objectives were to (1) produce a comprehensive review of the Chinook salmon management challenges in California’s Central Valley and identify the...
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...
Annual rates of prespawn mortality (PSM) in adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) trapped and transported upstream of dams in the Willamette River basin are high (often >40%) and could limit the ability to restore natural populations of spring Chinook salmon if not reduced. Improvements at the U.S. Army Corps of...
The conservation of declining desert fish species requires the identification of relations between fish population dynamics and their environments. Dynamic occupancy modeling, an approach that requires less information than traditional mark-recapture studies, may help identify important factors affecting population processes and aid desert fish conservation and restoration efforts. I used...
Listed as endangered in 1988, the Lost River sucker (Deltistes luxatus) and Shortnose sucker (Chasmistes brevirostris) were once abundant and widely distributed in the Klamath Basin in Southern Oregon and Northern California. Populations of both species have been declining since the late 1960’s. Factors thought responsible for declines include naturally...
The National Park Service has a dual mission of providing public access to exceptional natural resources, but in a manner such that these resources are left “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.” Human activities in parks undoubtedly affect wildlife, but the degree to which such activities cause impairment is...
Tropical peatlands play an important role in global climate system by storing an immense of carbon that had been accumulated over thousands of years. Peatlands provide another important ecosystem service by regulating the hydrology. It is believed that peatlands act like a giant sponge by absorbing substantial amounts of water...
T cells are one of the key cells in the immune system. Although they are not the first line of defense against a pathogen, their functions can greatly enhance the phagocytosis and destruction of pathogens as well as the development of antibody responses. Furthermore, even when responding T cells have...
Once abundant in their native range, Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus spp.) were widely distributed across the northern Pacific Rim from South Korea and Japan to the Sacramento River in California. Remaining populations are subject to population-level threats, including pathogens. The freshwater parasitic copepod Salmincola californiensis is associated with the reduced...