Climate change and vulnerability of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in a fire-prone landscape.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
By: , and 

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Abstract

Linked atmospheric and wildfire changes will complicate future management of native coldwater fishes in fire-prone landscapes, and new approaches to management that incorporate uncertainty are needed to address this challenge. We used a Bayesian network (BN) approach to evaluate population vulnerability of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in the Wenatchee River basin, Washington, USA, under current and future climate and fire scenarios. The BN was based on modeled estimates of wildfire, water temperature, and physical habitat prior to, and following, simulated fires throughout the basin. We found that bull trout population vulnerability depended on the extent to which climate effects can be at least partially offset by managing factors such as habitat connectivity and fire size. Moreover, our analysis showed that local management can significantly reduce the vulnerability of bull trout to climate change given appropriate management actions. Tools such as our BN that explicitly integrate the linked nature of climate and wildfire, and incorporate uncertainty in both input data and vulnerability estimates, will be vital in effective future management to conserve native coldwater fishes.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Climate change and vulnerability of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in a fire-prone landscape.
Series title Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
DOI 10.1139/cjfas-2014-0098
Volume 72
Issue 2
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher NRC Research Press
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Seattle, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Description 15 p.
First page 304
Last page 318
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