My research in tactical food web ecology incorporates directed sampling, experimentation, and models to mechanistically address and quantify factors that limit survival and growth of salmonids in freshwater and marine environments: predation, carrying capacity, climate change, and invasive species; evaluate feasibilities of salmonid reintroductions above dams, dam removal or re-operation.
Research Interests:
I am interested in advancing a mechanistic understanding for how the behavior, bioenergetics, and sensory capabilities of individual organisms scale up to determine the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems and how food web interactions are mediated by natural and human induced changes in environmental conditions. To this end, I am active in the development and application of bioenergetics models for salmonids, their predators and competitors. When coupled with directed field sampling to obtain growth, thermal experience, distribution, diet/stable isotopes and calorimetry data, we use bioenergetics simulations to identify and quantify factors that limit survival, growth, and production of focal species in a food web such as: predation, seasonal food availability, competition, or environmental stressors. Our team also uses scale- and otolith-based age and growth methods for identifying life history diversity, periods of size-selective mortality, and associated critical growth periods that influence survival through the completion of life cycles for anadromous and resident salmonids. We use this approach to evaluate the feasibility of species reintroductions above dams or in response to dam removal or re-operations, determine the impact of invasive species, and diagnose factors inhibiting recovery of ESA-listed species.
Because salmonids and most of their predators and competitors rely on vision to feed, we develop, refine, and applying visual foraging models through a combination of experimentation and field measurements. Using spatially-scalable experiments to parameterize how predator-prey reaction or detection distances change as functions of light and turbidity, and how prey size, behavior, and visual conditions affect capture success probability given an encounter, we construct models that predict how the efficacy of predators change given the transparency of a water body at any depth, any time of the day or night, and any time of the year. This approach allows us to evaluate how seasonal and diel changes in the visual environment affect natural variability in foraging and predation risk. In addition, we can determine how increased artificial light pollution and human-induced changes to natural turbidity cycles have changed predation mortality, risk, and prey behavior.
Professional Experience
2016 to Present - Chief of the Ecology Section, USGS, Western Fisheries Research Center, Seattle, WA
2014-2016 - Professor, University of Washington; Acting Unit Leader, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Seattle, WA
2008-2014 - Professor, University of Washington; Assistant Unit Leader-Fisheries, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Seattle, WA
1999-2008 - Assistant/Associate Professor, University of Washington; Assistant Unit Leader-Fisheries, U.S. Geological Survey, Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Seattle, WA
1994-1999 - Assistant Professor, Utah State University; Assistant Unit Leader-Fisheries, U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Logan, UT
Education and Certifications
Post-doctoral Research Associate. 1990-1991. Fisheries and Wildlife, Utah State University, Logan, UT
Ph.D. 1987. Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
M.S. 1982. Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
B.S. 1980. Fisheries, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Honors and Awards
2009 - Fulbright Scholar Grant. Research-Lecture position in Patagonia, Argentina
2008-2013 - Worthington Endowed Professorship, UW School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences
Science and Products
Seasonal shifts in diel vertical migrations by lake-dwelling coastal cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii, reflect thermal regimes and prey distributions
Pelagic food web interactions in a large invaded ecosystem: Implications for reintroducing a native top predator
A series of species introductions, overexploitation, and habitat modification preceded the extirpation of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi; LCT), historically the apex predator, from Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA. Studies evaluating limiting factors for LCT emphasise the need to elucidate food web interactions, yet important knowledge gaps regarding trophic interactions
Bioenergetics model for the nonnative Redside Shiner
Life-cycle model reveals sensitive life stages and evaluates recovery options for a dwindling Pacific salmon population
Population models, using empirical survival rates estimates for different life stages, can help managers explore whether various management options could stabilize a declining population or restore it to former levels of abundance. Here we used two decades of data on five life stages of the Cedar River, USA Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, population to create and parameterize a life-cycle mode
A climate-mediated shift in the estuarine habitat mosaic limits prey availability and reduces nursery quality for juvenile salmon
Resource use among top-level piscivores in a temperate reservoir: Implications for a threatened coldwater specialist
Physiological and nutritional constraints on zooplankton productivity due to eutrophication and climate change predicted using a resource-based modeling approach
Merging empirical and mechanistic approaches to modeling aquatic visual foraging using a generalizable visual reaction distance model
Taxonomic, temporal, and spatial variations in zooplankton fatty acid composition in Puget Sound, WA, USA
Artificial lights with different spectra do not alter detrimental attraction of young Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon along lake shorelines
Using bottom trawls to monitor subsurface water clarity in marine ecosystems
Variable prey consumption leads to distinct regional differences in Chinook salmon growth during the early marine critical period
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
WFRC Ecology Section - Projects Overview
Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
Bioenergetic Growth Performance of Rainbow Trout in Upper Skagit Reservoir Tributaries, 2018-2021
Data used to parameterize and evaluate a bioenergetics model for Redside Shiner (Richardsonius balteatus)
Influence of urbanization on the health of juvenile salmonids in Pacific Northwest perennial streams
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 59
Seasonal shifts in diel vertical migrations by lake-dwelling coastal cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii, reflect thermal regimes and prey distributions
Lakes provide important habitat for salmonids that may use them as a primary feeding area between periods of reproduction. The seasonal changes in vertical thermal structure in lakes can affect the distribution of salmonids on seasonal and diel time scales as they search for, consume, and digest prey that also exploits the water column's distribution of food, temperature and light. Our goal was toAuthorsZachary R. Thomas, David Beauchamp, Casey P. Clark, Thomas P. QuinnPelagic food web interactions in a large invaded ecosystem: Implications for reintroducing a native top predator
A series of species introductions, overexploitation, and habitat modification preceded the extirpation of Lahontan cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi; LCT), historically the apex predator, from Lake Tahoe, California-Nevada, USA. Studies evaluating limiting factors for LCT emphasise the need to elucidate food web interactions, yet important knowledge gaps regarding trophic interactions
AuthorsAdam G. Hansen, Allison McCoy, Gary P. Thiede, David BeauchampBioenergetics model for the nonnative Redside Shiner
ObjectiveRedside Shiner Richardsonius balteatus has expanded from its native range in the Pacific Northwest region of North America to establish populations in six other western states. This expansion has fueled concerns regarding competition between Redside Shiner and native species, including salmonids. We developed a bioenergetic model for Redside Shiner, providing a powerful tool to quantify iAuthorsRachelle Carina Johnson, David Beauchamp, Julian D. OldenLife-cycle model reveals sensitive life stages and evaluates recovery options for a dwindling Pacific salmon population
Population models, using empirical survival rates estimates for different life stages, can help managers explore whether various management options could stabilize a declining population or restore it to former levels of abundance. Here we used two decades of data on five life stages of the Cedar River, USA Sockeye Salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka, population to create and parameterize a life-cycle mode
AuthorsNeala W. Kendall, Julia R. Unrein, Carol Volk, David Beauchamp, Kurt L. Fresh, Thomas P. QuinnA climate-mediated shift in the estuarine habitat mosaic limits prey availability and reduces nursery quality for juvenile salmon
The estuarine habitat mosaic supports the reproduction, growth, and survival of resident and migratory fish species by providing a diverse portfolio of unique habitats with varying physical and biological features. Global climate change is expected to result in increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and changes in riverine hydrology, which will have profound effects on the extent and compositAuthorsMelanie J. Davis, Isa Woo, Christopher S. Ellings, Sayre Hodgson, David Beauchamp, Glynnis Nakai, Susan E. W. De La CruzResource use among top-level piscivores in a temperate reservoir: Implications for a threatened coldwater specialist
Evaluations of resource use among native piscivores in natural lakes have consistently documented significant partitioning that supports coexistence. Partitioning may be less prominent in reservoirs where water-level fluctuations can compress habitat and trophic diversity, but studies are lacking. Stable isotopes and bioenergetic models were used to quantify trophic interactions within a native piAuthorsAdam G. Hansen, Jennifer R. Gardner, Kristin A. Connelly, Matt Polacek, David BeauchampPhysiological and nutritional constraints on zooplankton productivity due to eutrophication and climate change predicted using a resource-based modeling approach
Emerging evidence suggests that zooplankton production is affected by physiological and nutritional constraints due to climate change and eutrophication, which in turn could have broad implications for food-web dynamics and fisheries production. In this study, we developed a resource-based zooplankton production dynamics model that causally links freshwater cladoceran and copepod daily production-AuthorsChen Zhang, Michael T. Brett, Jens M Nielsen, George B Arhonditsis, Ashley P Ballantyne, Jackie L Carter, Jacob Kann, Dörthe C Müller-Navarra, Daniel E. Schindler, Jason D. Stockwell, Monika Winder, David BeauchampMerging empirical and mechanistic approaches to modeling aquatic visual foraging using a generalizable visual reaction distance model
Visual encounter distance models are important tools for predicting how light and water clarity mediate visual predator-prey interactions that affect the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems at multiple spatial, temporal, and organizational scales. The two main varieties of visual encounter distance models, mechanistic and empirical, are used for similar purposes but take fundamentally difAuthorsSean K. Rohan, David Beauchamp, Timothy E. Essington, Adam G. HansenTaxonomic, temporal, and spatial variations in zooplankton fatty acid composition in Puget Sound, WA, USA
Fatty acid (FA) content and composition of zooplankton in Puget Sound, Washington (USA) was studied to investigate the nutritional quality of diverse zooplankton prey for juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in terms of their essential fatty acid (EFA) content. The study focus was on eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (ARA) as these are key FA needed to maAuthorsMinna Hiltunen, Ursula Strandberg, Michael T. Brett, Amanda K. Winans, David Beauchamp, Miika Kotila, Julie E. KeisterArtificial lights with different spectra do not alter detrimental attraction of young Chinook salmon and sockeye salmon along lake shorelines
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is common in lakes with developed shorelines, especially prevalent in the nearshore areas where juvenile fishes, including salmonids, are present. One concern is that fishes may be attracted to ALAN and become more vulnerable to predators. The use of longer wavelength lights has been suggested to reduce the effects of ALAN; however, the response in juvenile salmoniAuthorsRoger A. Tabor, Elizabeth K Perkin, David Beauchamp, Lyle L. Britt, Rebecca Haehn, John A. Greene, Timothy J. Robinson, Scott Stolnack, Daniel W Lantz, Zachary J MooreUsing bottom trawls to monitor subsurface water clarity in marine ecosystems
Biophysical processes that affect subsurface water clarity play a key role in ecosystem function. However, subsurface water clarity is poorly monitored in marine ecosystems because doing so requires in-situ sampling that is logistically difficult to conduct and sustain. Novel solutions are thus needed to improve monitoring of subsurface water clarity. To that end, we developed a sampling method anAuthorsSean K. Rohan, Stan Kotwicki, Kelly A. Kearney, Jennifer A Schulien, Edward A. Laman, Edward D. Cokelet, David Beauchamp, Lyle L. Britt, Kerim Y. Aydin, Stephani G. ZadorVariable prey consumption leads to distinct regional differences in Chinook salmon growth during the early marine critical period
Growth during the early marine critical period is positively associated with survival and recruitment for Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., so it is important to understand how certain foraging strategies may bolster growth in estuarine and marine environments. To elucidate how spatiotemporal and demographic differences in diet contribute to growth rate variability, we analyzed stomach contents inAuthorsMelanie J Davis, Joshua W. Chamberlin, Jennifer R. Gardner, Kristin A. Connelly, Madilyn M. Gamble, Brian R. Beckman, David BeauchampNon-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
- Science
WFRC Ecology Section - Projects Overview
The Ecology Section examines how environmental variability, human activities and infrastructure influence food web interactions and species performance in freshwater and marine ecosystems. We have extensive experience in quantifying aquatic food web processes as they relate to growth, survival and production of key species of interest, especially resident and anadromous salmonids.Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)
Species Studied - Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii)Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Species Studied - Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus)
Species Studied - Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) - Data
Bioenergetic Growth Performance of Rainbow Trout in Upper Skagit Reservoir Tributaries, 2018-2021
This dataset contains the information necessary for bioenergetics modeling of rainbow trout growth in select tributaries to the Upper Skagit River Hydroelectric reservoirs. The diet, invertebrate drift, and size-at-age data used to create modeling inputs is included in csv files. The input data generated for modeling can be found in the folder 'FB4 Upper Skagit Tributaries - Data Release' and inclData used to parameterize and evaluate a bioenergetics model for Redside Shiner (Richardsonius balteatus)
This release includes data used to fit mass- and temperature-dependent functions for consumption and respiration of redside shiner based on controlled laboratory experiments of maximum consumption (Cmax) rates and routine metabolic rates using intermittent-flow respirometry, across a range of fish sizes (0.6–27.3 g) and temperatures (5–31° C). Long term growth experiments were conducted to evaluatInfluence of urbanization on the health of juvenile salmonids in Pacific Northwest perennial streams
Physical and chemical changes affect the biota within urban streams at varying scales ranging from individual organisms to populations and communities creating complex interactions that present challenges for characterizing and monitoring the impact on species utilizing these freshwater habitats. Salmonids, specifically cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), - Multimedia
- News