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David A Schmetterling

Abstract (from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.13681/full): Hybridization between invasive and native species, a significant threat to worldwide biodiversity, is predicted to increase due to climate-induced expansions of invasive species. Long-term research and monitoring are crucial for understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that modulate the effects of invasive species. Using a large, multidecade genetics dataset (N = 582 sites, 12,878 individuals) with high-resolution climate predictions and extensive stocking records, we evaluate the spatiotemporal dynamics of hybridization between native cutthroat trout and invasive rainbow trout, the world's most widely introduced invasive fish,...
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Trout are one of the most culturally, economically, and ecologically important groups of freshwater fishes in the Rocky Mountain region. However, human impacts and climate change are significantly altering freshwater ecosystems that support native trout species. Despite their broad importance, many of the region’s trout populations are threatened and some require immediate conservation efforts to reverse their decline. Although work is being done to understand and mitigate these changes, the ability to accurately assess vulnerability is currently limited due to a lack of data-driven approaches that incorporate uncertainty and adaptive capacity at scales relevant to effective management. USGS researchers will...
In this study, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, and the University of Montana studied how climate change affected world-renown trout fisheries across 3,100 miles rivers in Montana from 1983 to 2017. Extreme droughts reduced streamflows and increased water temperatures, causing stressful conditions for trout and numerous fishing site closures. This resulted in anglers moving to find fishing locations that were more favorable to trout during extreme drought conditions. By moving to fishing locations that were more favorable during drought, visitors kept trout fishing revenue in the state rather than choosing to travel elsewhere. This flexibility revealed surprising resiliency...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Climate change and invasive species are major threats to native biodiversity, but few studies have examined their combined effects at large spatial and temporal scales. Using 21,917 surveys collected over 30 years, we quantified the impacts of climate change on the past and future distributions of five interacting native and invasive trout species throughout the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. We found that the occupancy of native bull trout and cutthroat trout declined by 18% and 6%, respectively, from 1993 to 2018 and was predicted to decrease by an additional 39% and 16% by 2080. However, reasons for the occupancy reductions differed markedly across species; increasing water temperature and decreasing streamflow...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
Climate change and invasive species are major threats to native biodiversity, but few empirical studies have examined their combined effects at large spatial and temporal scales. Using 21,917 surveys collected over 30 years, we quantified the impacts of climate change on the past and future distributions of five interacting native and invasive trout species throughout the northern Rocky Mountains, USA. We found that the occupancy of native bull trout and cutthroat trout declined by 18 and 6%, respectively (1993–2018), and was predicted to decrease by an additional 39 and 16% by 2080. However, reasons for these occupancy reductions markedly differed among species: Climate-driven increases in water temperature and...
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
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