The first year of life is perilous for a salmonid, typified by a critical period of post-emergence mortality.
To evaluate the connection between environmental variability and Coho salmon survival in the first year of life, researchers measured macroinvertebrate prey availability and appropriate temperatures for young-of-year Coho salmon in two Alaska streams – one groundwater-fed with low thermal variability and one surface-water fed with much greater temperature variability. In the surface-water stream, fry emerged when temperatures warmed to levels that maximized growth. In the groundwater-fed stream, fry emergence coincided with peaks in macroinvertebrate prey availability. There were no significant differences in observed Coho salmon growth, body lengths, or consumption between streams. Importantly, emergence timing was the same in both streams, but linked to different factors potentially influencing summer growth. This research provides insights into the first summer of life for Coho salmon and the complexities of growth dynamics that emerge when considering local environmental variability.
Campbell, E.Y., Dunham, J.B., Reeves, G.H., 2020, Linkages between temperature, macroinvertebrates, and young-of-year Coho salmon growth in surface-water and groundwater streams: Freshwater Science, v. 39, no. 3, p. 447-460, https://doi.org/10.1086/710042
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Aquatic & Landscape Ecology Research Team (FRESC)
Fresh waters are one of the most valuable and threatened resources worldwide. They supply critical services to society and harbor many of the world’s most imperiled species. We conduct research and provide technical assistance to address challenges to fresh waters. Our research focuses on ecological processes in freshwater and terrestrial systems and the effects of those processes on landscape...Life Histories of Aquatic Species
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