Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Colorado Plateau CESu

Description

The US Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), is offering a funding opportunity to study how reductions in streamflow and drought and the interaction with invasive fishes impact native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkia subsp.) in the northern Rocky Mountains. This area contains regional strongholds for cutthroat trout subspecies, which have high ecological, social, and economic importance in the region. Summer baseflows are decreasing across much of the northern Rocky Mountains, which may have considerable impacts to native fishes. Concomitantly, invasive fishes are continuing to expand in distribution and abundance. As managers grapple with prioritizing actions and populations for conservation of native fishes, there remains limited information as to how changes in streamflow are likely to affect the growth, condition, and survival of native fishes such as cutthroat trout. Furthermore, it is unclear how the impacts of invasive fishes may exacerbate the effects of changes in discharge on species such as cutthroat trout. This research will focus on studying the effects of invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta), a species native to Europe and Asia, to cutthroat trout in the northern Rocky Mountains. The study will include a combination of field data and experimental approaches in Montana. A master¿s student should be recruited to develop a proposal in collaboration with federal and state partners to evaluate potential research studies, with final products being a thesis and a peer-reviewed manuscript that incorporate statistical models describing the effects of reductions in streamflow and the potential interaction with invasive brown trout on the growth, condition, and survival of cutthroat trout.

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