David A. Beauchamp, Ph.D.
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
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
Salmon, forage fish, and kelp
Freshwater tidal forests and estuarine wetlands may confer early life growth advantages for delta-reared Chinook Salmon
Development of new information to inform fish passage decisions at the Yale and Merwin hydro projects on the Lewis River, Washington—Final report, 2018
Migratory coupling between predators and prey
Integrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Impacts of hatchery-reared mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi stocking on wild fish community and water quality in a shallow Yangtze lake
Trophic compression of lake food webs under hydrologic disturbance
Size, growth, and size‐selective mortality of subyearling Chinook Salmon during early marine residence in Puget Sound
Juvenile coho salmon growth and health in streams across an urbanization gradient
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.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 62
Artificial 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 BeauchampSalmon, forage fish, and kelp
Kelp beds are prominent features of northeast Pacific coastlines. They are seasonal in nature, as are the communities that use them. Here, juvenile and adult Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) – key components of northeast Pacific marine food webs that link plankton and forage fishes to endangered killer whales – have just arrived at the coastal kelp beds (left) and are feeding on the largeAuthorsAnne Shaffer, Dave Parks, Erik R. Schoen, David BeauchampFreshwater tidal forests and estuarine wetlands may confer early life growth advantages for delta-reared Chinook Salmon
Large river deltas are complex ecosystems that are believed to play a pivotal role in promoting the early marine growth and survival of threatened Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha. We used a fish bioenergetics model to assess the functional role of multiple delta habitats across a gradient of salinities and vegetation types, where consumption and growth rate potential (GRP) were consideredAuthorsMelanie J. Davis, Isa Woo, Christopher S. Ellings, Sayre Hodgson, David A. Beauchamp, Glynnis Nakai, Susan E. W. De La CruzDevelopment of new information to inform fish passage decisions at the Yale and Merwin hydro projects on the Lewis River, Washington—Final report, 2018
The reintroduction of extirpated salmonids to historically occupied areas is becoming increasingly common as a conservation and recovery strategy. Often, reintroductions are implemented after the factors that originally led to species extirpation have been reduced, eliminated, or mitigated. For anadromous Oncorhynchus spp. (Pacific salmon) and O. mykiss (steelhead), addressing barriers to migratioAuthorsRobert K. Al-Chokhachy, Christopher L. Clark, Mark H. Sorel, David A. BeauchampMigratory coupling between predators and prey
Animal migrations act to couple ecosystems and are undertaken by some of the world’s most endangered taxa. Predators often exploit migrant prey, but the movements taken by these consumers are rarely studied or understood. We define such movements, where migrant prey induce large-scale movements of predators, as migratory coupling. Migratory coupling can have ecological consequences for the particiAuthorsNathan B. Furey, Jonathan B. Armstrong, David A. Beauchamp, Scott G. HinchIntegrated diet analyses reveal contrasting trophic niches for wild and hatchery juvenile Chinook Salmon in a large river delta
Hatchery programs have been used as a conservation tool to bolster declining populations of Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha along much of the North American Pacific coast. In many watersheds, hatchery stocks are released concurrently with the wild population, thus raising the potential for density‐dependent effects. Competition for prey resources during the critical period for early marineAuthorsMelanie J. Davis, Isa Woo, Christopher S. Ellings, Sayre Hodgson, David A. Beauchamp, Glynnis Nakai, Susan E.W. De La CruzImpacts of hatchery-reared mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi stocking on wild fish community and water quality in a shallow Yangtze lake
Mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi, a valuable piscivorous fish, have been stocked into many lakes in China since the 1990s. This study did the first attempt to evaluate the ecological effects of hatchery-reared mandarin fish stocking in the Yangtze River basin lakes. Our study demonstrated a significant change in fish community composition after mandarin fish stocking, but no fish extinction was obsAuthorsWei Li, Brendan J. Hicks, Mingli Lin, Chuanbo Guo, Tanglin Zhang, Jiashou Liu, Zhongjie Li, David A. BeauchampTrophic compression of lake food webs under hydrologic disturbance
The need to protect biostructure is increasingly recognized, yet empirical studies of how human exploits affect ecological networks are rare. Studying the effects of variation in human disturbance intensity from decades past can help us understand and anticipate ecosystem change under alleviated or amplified disturbance over decades to come. Here, we use stable isotopes and an innovative analyticaAuthorsAdam G. Hansen, Jennifer R. Gardner, Kristin A. Connelly, Matt Polacek, David A. BeauchampSize, growth, and size‐selective mortality of subyearling Chinook Salmon during early marine residence in Puget Sound
In marine ecosystems, survival can be heavily influenced by size‐selective mortality during juvenile life stages. Understanding how and when size‐selective mortality operates on a population can reveal underlying growth dynamics and size‐selective ecological processes affecting the population and thus can be used to guide conservation efforts. For subyearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytschAuthorsMadilyn M. Gamble, Kristin A. Connelly, Jennifer R. Gardner, Joshua W. Chamberlin, Kenneth I. Warheit, David A. BeauchampJuvenile coho salmon growth and health in streams across an urbanization gradient
Expanding human population and urbanization alters freshwater systems through structural changes to habitat, temperature effects from increased runoff and reduced canopy cover, altered flows, and increased toxicants. Current stream assessments stop short of measuring health or condition of species utilizing these freshwater habitats and fail to link specific stressors mechanistically to the healthAuthorsAndrew R. Spanjer, Patrick W. Moran, Kimberly Larsen, Lisa Wetzel, Adam G. Hansen, David A. 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.
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