Muhlfeld, Clint C., Thomas E. McMahon, and Durae Belcer. 2009. Spatial and temporal dynamics of spawning between native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi), introduced rainbow trout (O. mykiss), and their hybrids. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 66:1153-1168.
Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Biography
Research Associate Professor
Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana
Education
Ph.D. 2008. Fish and Wildlife Biology, Montana State University, Bozeman.
Dissertation: Behavioral, ecological, and fitness consequences of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout and nonnative rainbow trout
M.S. 1999. Fishery Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow.
Thesis: Seasonal habitat use and movement of redband trout in the Kootenai River drainage, Montana
B.S. 1994. Aquatic Biology, University of Montana, Missoula; University of Maine, Orono (1990-1993)
Research interests
I am a Research Aquatic Ecologist for the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center stationed in Glacier National Park and Associate Research Professor at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. My general research interests encompass the fields of aquatic ecology, fisheries biology, and conservation biology. My research goal is to understand how aquatic species interact with physical and biological templates over space and time to inform conservation and management. Specifically, my applied research focuses on assessing how human stressors – invasive species, habitat modification, and climate change – influence native salmonids and rare alpine macroinvertebrates in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada.
My published research spans a range of scientific questions and conservation issues from examining the evolutionary and ecological impacts of invasive species on native fishes, assessing life history and genetic diversity of native salmonids, assessing the status of threatened freshwater species, investigating the impacts of dams and barriers on aquatic species and ecosystems, developing quantitative models (e.g., stream temperature, instream flow/habitat, bioenergetics, riverscape connectivity, population viability) to predict species’ responses to environmental change, to understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change on freshwater species and ecosystems.
I particularly enjoy collaboration and multidisciplinary research, and advising and educating graduate students working on various aspects of freshwater ecology and conservation biology. Currently, I actively participate on several regional, national, and international science teams that address natural resource issues facing aquatic ecosystems. My hope is that the ecological integrity of aquatic ecosystems will be conserved for future generations through research-informed management and education.
Science and Products
Date published: October 17, 2018
Status: Active Integrated Ecohydrological Science in the Northern Rocky Mountains — the variability of water availability and the effects on ecosystems
Our primary goal is to better understand and characterize how stream environments and the ecosystems they support are influenced by climate change and drought in the Northern Rocky Mountains.
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D., Robert Al-Chokhachy
Attribution: Ecosystems, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Date published: May 1, 2018
Status: Active Drought and Ecological Flows
As part of the USGS Fisheries program, ecological flows, or the relationships between quality, quantity, and timing of water flows and ecological response of aquatic biota and ecosystems; and related ecosystem services are being investigated.
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Fisheries Program
Date published: May 1, 2018
Status: Active Energy Development and Aquatic Ecosystems
USGS is advancing science on the impacts of energy development on aquatic ecosystems.
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Date published: January 4, 2018
Status: Active Experimental suppression of invasive lake trout: Implications for conservation of imperiled bull trout in Glacier National Park
After 14,000 years of dominance, Glacier National Park’s (GNP) greatest native aquatic predator is at high risk of extirpation (local extinction) in several lakes on the western slopes of the Continental Divide. The decline of threatened bull trout in GNP is directly attributed to the invasion and establishment of nonnative lake trout, which consistently displace bull trout in systems where...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Date published: January 1, 2018
Status: Active Understanding Climate Impacts on Native and Invasive Fish for Conservation, Management, and Economic Goals in the Northern Rockies
As the origin of three major basins that drain the Columbia, Missouri, and Saskatchewan rivers, Montana is the hydrologic apex for North America. The Northern Rocky Mountain region is home to some of the last remaining interconnected habitats for many native fishes, including the threatened bull trout and native westslope cutthroat trout. The Northern Rockies are also experiencing rapidly...
Attribution: Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Date published: September 13, 2017
Status: Active Science in Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park (GNP) is considered a stronghold for a large diversity of plant and animal species and harbors some of the last remaining populations of threatened and endangered species such as grizzly bear and bull trout, as well as non threatened keystone species such as bighorn sheep and black bear. The mountain ecosystems of GNP that support these species are dynamic and influenced...
Date published: February 2, 2017
Status: Active Western Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program
Researchers at the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center's Western Waters Invasive Species and Disease Research Program work extensively with federal, state, tribal, regional, and local partners to deliver science to improve early detection and prevention of invasive species and disease; understand complex interactions that promote invasive species and disease, and their impacts (and...
Date published: March 10, 2016
Translocation of imperiled fishes: Conservation introduction of threatened bull trout in Glacier National Park
There is an urgent need to consider more aggressive and direct interventions for conservation of freshwater fishes threatened by invasive species, habitat loss, and climate change. Conservation introduction - moving species to areas outside their previous range, where conditions are predicted to be more suitable - is one type of translocation strategy that fisheries managers can use to...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Date published: March 9, 2016
Predicting climate change impacts on river ecosystems and salmonids across the Pacific Northwest: Combining vulnerability modeling, landscape genomics, and economic evaluations for conservation
Salmonids – a group of coldwater adapted fishes of enormous ecological and socio-economic value – historically inhabited a variety of freshwater habitats throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Over the past century, however, populations have dramatically declined due to habitat loss, overharvest, and invasive species. Consequently, many populations are listed as threatened or endangered under...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Attribution: Midcontinent, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Date published: March 8, 2016
Status: Active Genetic status and distribution of native westslope cutthroat trout in Glacier National Park
After 14,000 years of surviving extreme environmental events, such as floods, fires and glaciations, Glacier’s greatest native trout is at high risk of disappearing from several streams and lakes east and west of the Continental Divide. The decline of westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi; WCT) in Glacier National Park (GNP) has been attributed to the establishment of...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Date published: March 7, 2016
Status: Active Evolutionary mechanisms influencing the spread of hybridization: genomics, fitness and dispersal
Invasive species and hybridization (reproduction between different species or subspecies) – among the most serious threats to native species and biodiversity – provide some of the richest opportunities for “natural experiments” in evolutionary biology. New genomic technologies, combined with long-term hybridization studies in natural populations, provide exciting opportunities to advance our...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Date published: March 6, 2016
Status: Active Using the past as a prelude to the future to assess climate effects on native trout across the United States
Future climate change is expected to dramatically alter the structure and function of freshwater ecosystems that support salmonid species. The response of salmonids to climate change will vary through space and time and manifest in both known and currently unknown ways. A potentially rich source of understanding of how salmonids interact with climate lies in a unified retrospective analysis of...
Contacts: Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Year Published: 2019
An integrated framework for ecological drought across riverscapes of North America
Climate change is increasing the severity and extent of extreme droughts events, posing a critical threat to freshwater ecosystems, particularly with increasing human demands for diminishing water supplies. Despite the importance of drought as a significant driver of ecological and evolutionary dynamics, current understanding of drought...
Kovach, Ryan; Dunham, Jason B.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert; Snyder, Craig; Beever, Erik A.; Pederson, Gregory T.; Lynch, Abigail; Hitt, Nathaniel P.; Konrad, Christopher; Jaeger, Kristin; Rea, Alan H.; Sepulveda, Adam J.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Stoker, Jason M.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Muhlfeld, Clint C.Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Ecosystems
Year Published: 2018
Demographic modelling reveals a history of divergence with gene flow for a glacially tied stonefly in a changing post-Pleistocene landscape
AimClimate warming is causing extensive loss of glaciers in mountainous regions, yet our understanding of how glacial recession influences evolutionary processes and genetic diversity is limited. Linking genetic structure with the influences shaping it can improve understanding of how species respond to environmental change. Here, we used genome-...
Hotaling, Scott; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Giersch, J. Joseph; Ali, Omar; Jordan, Steve; Miller, Michael R.; Luikart, Gordon; Weisrock, David W.
Year Published: 2018
A social–ecological perspective for riverscape management in the Columbia River Basin
Riverscapes are complex, landscape-scale mosaics of connected river and stream habitats embedded in diverse ecological and socioeconomic settings. Social–ecological interactions among stakeholders often complicate natural-resource conservation and management of riverscapes. The management challenges posed by the conservation and restoration of...
Hand, Brian K.; Flint, Courtney G.; Frissell, Chris A.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Devlin, Shawn P.; Kennedy, Brian P.; Crabtree, Robert L.; McKee, W. Arthur; Luikart, Gordon; Stanford, Jack A.View Citation
Brian K Hand, Courtney G Flint, Chris A Frissell, Clint C Muhlfeld, Shawn P Devlin, Brian P Kennedy, Robert L Crabtree, W Arthur McKee, Gordon Luikart, and Jack A Stanford. 2018. A social–ecological perspective for riverscape management in the Columbia River Basin. Front Ecol Environ 2018; 16(S1): S23–S33, doi: 10.1002/fee.1752
Year Published: 2017
Projected warming portends seasonal shifts of stream temperatures in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, USA and Canada
Climate warming is expected to increase stream temperatures in mountainous regions of western North America, yet the degree to which future climate change may influence seasonal patterns of stream temperature is uncertain. In this study, a spatially explicit statistical model framework was integrated with empirical stream temperature data (...
Jones, Leslie A.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Marshall, Lucy A.View Citation
Jones, Leslie A., Muhlfeld, Clint C., Marshall, Lucy A. 2017. Projected warming portends seasonal shifts of stream temperatures in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, USA and Canada. Climatic Change 144(4):641-655
Year Published: 2017
No evidence for ecological segregation protecting native trout from invasive hybridization
We appreciate the comments of Young et al. (2017) on our recent paper (Muhlfeld et al., 2017) concerning spatiotemporal dynamics of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi; WCT) and introduced coastal rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss irideus; RBT). Nevertheless, we believe there is no evidence for “...
Kovach, Ryan; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Amish, Stephen J.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; Leary, Robb F.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Luikart, Gordon; Matson, Phil; Schmetterling, David; Shepard, Bradley; Westley, Peter A. H.; Whited, Diane; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Allendorf, Fred W.View Citation
Kovach, Muhlfeld et al. 2017. Global Change Biology. No evidence for ecological segregation protecting native trout from invasive hybridization.
Year Published: 2017
USGS integrated drought science
Project Need and OverviewDrought poses a serious threat to the resilience of human communities and ecosystems in the United States (Easterling and others, 2000). Over the past several years, many regions have experienced extreme drought conditions, fueled by prolonged periods of reduced precipitation and exceptionally warm temperatures. Extreme...
Ostroff, Andrea C.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Lambert, Patrick M.; Booth, Nathaniel L.; Carter, Shawn L.; Stoker, Jason M.; Focazio, Michael J.Attribution: Biology and Ecosystems, Water, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), Ecosystems, Fisheries Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, United States of America, 3D Elevation Program, Drought
View Citation
Ostroff, A.C., Muhlfeld, C.C., Lambert, P.M., Booth, N.L., Carter, S.L., Stoker, J.M., and Focazio, M.J., 2017, USGS integrated drought science: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1430, 24 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1430.
Year Published: 2017
Chapter 6: Temperature
Stream temperature has direct and indirect effects on stream ecology and is critical in determining both abiotic and biotic system responses across a hierarchy of spatial and temporal scales. Temperature variation is primarily driven by solar radiation, while landscape topography, geology, and stream reach scale ecosystem processes contribute to...
F. Richard Hauer; Lamberti, G.A.; Jones, Leslie A.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Hauer, F. RichardView Citation
Jones, Leslie, Clint C. Muhlfeld, and F. Richard Hauer. Temperature In Methods of Stream Ecology, Elsevier Publishing
Year Published: 2017
Legacy introductions and climatic variation explain spatiotemporal patterns of invasive hybridization in a native trout
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,...
Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Kovach, Ryan P.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Amish, Stephen J.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.; Leary, Robb F.; Lowe, Winsor H.; Luikart, Gordon; Matson, Phil; Schmetterling, David A.; Shepard, Bradley B.; Westley, Peter A. H.; Whited, Diane; Whiteley, Andrew R.; Allendorf, Fred W.View Citation
Muhlfeld CC, Kovach RP, Al-Chokhachy R, et al. Legacy introductions and climatic variation explain spatiotemporal patterns of invasive hybridization in a native trout. Glob Change Biol. 2017 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13681
Year Published: 2017
Suppression of invasive lake trout in an isolated backcountry lake in Glacier National Park
Fisheries managers have implemented suppression programmes to control non-native lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush (Walbaum), in several lakes throughout the western United States. This study determined the feasibility of experimentally suppressing lake trout using gillnets in an isolated backcountry lake in Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, for...
Fredenberg, C. R.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Guy, Christopher S.; D'Angelo, Vincent S.; Downs, Christopher C.; Syslo, John M.
Year Published: 2017
Climate-induced glacier and snow loss imperils alpine stream insects
Climate warming is causing rapid loss of glaciers and snowpack in mountainous regions worldwide. These changes are predicted to negatively impact the habitats of many range-restricted species, particularly endemic, mountaintop species dependent on the unique thermal and hydrologic conditions found only in glacier-fed and snowmelt-driven alpine...
Giersch, J. Joseph; Hotaling, Scott; Kovach, Ryan; Jones, Leslie A.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.View Citation
Giersch, J. J., Hotaling, S. Kovach, R. P., Jones, L. A. Muhlfeld, C. C. Climate-induced glacier and snow loss imperils alpine stream insects. Climate Change Biology. doi: 10.1111/gcb.13565
Year Published: 2017
Assessments of species' vulnerability to climate change: From pseudo to science
Climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs) are important tools to plan for and mitigate potential impacts of climate change. However, CCVAs often lack scientific rigor, which can ultimately lead to poor conservation prioritization and associated ecological and economic costs. We discuss the need to improve comparability and consistency of...
Wade, Alisa A.; Hand, Brian K.; Kovach, Ryan; Muhlfeld, Clint C.; Waples, Robin S.; Luikart, GordonView Citation
Wade AA, Hand BK, Kovach RP, Muhlfeld CC, Waples RS, Luikart G. 2016. Assessments of species' vulnerability to climate change: from pseudo to science. Biodiversity and Conservation DOI 10.1007/s10531-016-1232-5
Year Published: 2017
Climate, invasive species and land use drive population dynamics of a cold-water specialist
Climate change is an additional stressor in a complex suite of threats facing freshwater biodiversity, particularly for cold-water fishes. Research addressing the consequences of climate change on cold-water fish has generally focused on temperature limits defining spatial distributions, largely ignoring how climatic variation influences...
Kovach, Ryan P.; Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Whited, Diane C.; Schmetterling, David A.; Dux, Andrew M.; Muhlfeld, Clint C.Pre-USGS Publications
Muhlfeld, Clint C., Thomas E. McMahon, Matthew C. Boyer, and Robert E. Gresswell. 2009. Local-habitat, watershed, and biotic factors in the spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 138:1036-1051.
Boyer, Matthew C., Clint C. Muhlfeld, and Fred Allendorf. 2008. Rainbow trout invasion and the spread of hybridization with westslope cutthroat trout. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:658-669.
Muhlfeld, Clint C., David H. Bennett, Kirk Steinhorst, Brian Marotz, and Matthew C. Boyer. 2008. Using bioenergetics modeling to estimate consumption of native juvenile salmonids by nonnative northern pike in the upper Flathead River system, Montana. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:636-648.
Date published: April 13, 2016
CDFISH: A landscape genetics program to simulate gene flow in complex riverscapes under a wide range of environmental scenarios for aquatic organisms
CDFISH: A landscape genetics program to simulate gene flow in complex riverscapes under a wide range of environmental scenarios for aquatic organisms.
Attribution: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Date published: September 6, 2017
Warmer and Longer Summers Portend Increased Stream Temperatures in the Northern Rockies
A new U.S. Geological Survey study provides a larger window into the future for understanding how seasonal stream temperatures may change in one of the most ecologically diverse ecosystems in North America – the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, USA and Canada.
Attribution: Midcontinent, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Date published: June 24, 2016
For Nature, Gravel-Bed Rivers Most Important Feature in Mountainous Western North America
MISSOULA – Gravel-bed river floodplains are some of the most ecologically important habitats in North America, according to a new study by scientists from the U.S. and Canada. Their research shows how broad valleys coming out of glaciated mountains provide highly productive and important habitat for a large diversity of aquatic, avian and terrestrial species.
Date published: May 12, 2015
Climate Change Threatens Native Trout Diversity
Scientists have discovered that the diversity of a threatened native trout species will likely decrease due to future climate change.
Attribution: Ecosystems, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Date published: December 4, 2014
Rare Insect Found Only in Glacier National Park Imperiled by Melting Glaciers
The persistence of an already rare aquatic insect, the western glacier stonefly, is being imperiled by the loss of glaciers and increased stream temperatures due to climate warming in mountain ecosystems, according to a new study released in Freshwater Science.
Date published: May 25, 2014
Climate Change Accelerates Hybridization between Native and Invasive Species of Trout
Scientists have discovered that the rapid spread of hybridization between a native species and an invasive species of trout in the wild is strongly linked to changes in climate.