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
Energetic requirements of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) feeding on burrowing shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) in estuaries: importance of temperature, reproductive investment, and residence time
Linking functional response and bioenergetics to estimate juvenile salmon growth in a reservoir food web
Trophic interactions and consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon and nonnative juvenile American Shad in Columbia River reservoirs
Recovery of sockeye salmon in the Elwha River, Washington, after dam removal: Dependence of smolt production on the resumption of anadromy by landlocked kokanee
Trophic feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids in three reservoirs on the north fork Lewis River, Washington: Prey supply and consumption demand of resident fishes
Effect of body size and temperature on respiration of Galaxias maculatus (Pisces: Galaxiidae)
Growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints
Predation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions
Piscivorous fish exhibit temperature-influenced binge feeding during an annual prey pulse
Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) suppression for bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) recovery in Flathead Lake, Montana, North America
Development of a bioenergetics model for the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
Extensive feeding on sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts by bull trout Salvelinus confluentus during initial outmigration into a small, unregulated and inland British Columbia river
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.
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Filter Total Items: 62
Energetic requirements of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) feeding on burrowing shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) in estuaries: importance of temperature, reproductive investment, and residence time
Habitat use can be complex, as tradeoffs among physiology, resource abundance, and predator avoidance affect the suitability of different environments for different species. Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), an imperiled species along the west coast of North America, undertake extensive coastal migrations and occupy estuaries during the summer and early fall. Warm water and abundant prey inAuthorsJoshua M. Borin, Mary L. Moser, Adam G. Hansen, David A. Beauchamp, Stephen C. Corbett, Brett R. Dumbauld, Casey Pruitt, Jennifer L. Ruesink, Cinde DonoghueLinking functional response and bioenergetics to estimate juvenile salmon growth in a reservoir food web
Juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) use of reservoir food webs is understudied. We examined the feeding behavior of subyearling Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) and its relation to growth by estimating the functional response of juvenile salmon to changes in the density of Daphnia, an important component of reservoir food webs. We then estimated salmon growth across a broad range of water temperatuAuthorsCraig A. Haskell, David A. Beauchamp, Stephen M. BollensTrophic interactions and consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon and nonnative juvenile American Shad in Columbia River reservoirs
We used a large lampara seine coupled with nonlethal gastric lavage to examine the diets and estimate consumption rates of subyearling Chinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha during July and August 2013. During August we also examined the diet and consumption rates of juvenile American Shad Alosa sapidissima, a potential competitor of subyearling Chinook Salmon. Subyearling Chinook Salmon consumedAuthorsCraig A. Haskell, David A. Beauchamp, Stephen M BollinsRecovery of sockeye salmon in the Elwha River, Washington, after dam removal: Dependence of smolt production on the resumption of anadromy by landlocked kokanee
Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp. are adept at colonizing habitat that has been reopened to anadromous passage. Sockeye Salmon O. nerka are unique in that most populations require lakes to fulfill their life history. Thus, for Sockeye Salmon to colonize a system, projects like dam removals must provide access to lakes. However, if the lakes contain landlocked kokanee (lacustrine Sockeye Salmon), thAuthorsAdam G. Hansen, Jennifer R. Gardner, David A. Beauchamp, Rebecca Paradis, Thomas P. QuinnTrophic feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids in three reservoirs on the north fork Lewis River, Washington: Prey supply and consumption demand of resident fishes
The reintroduction of anadromous salmonids in reservoirs is being proposed with increasing frequency, requiring baseline studies to evaluate feasibility and estimate the capacity of reservoir food webs to support reintroduced populations. Using three reservoirs on the north fork Lewis River as a case study, we demonstrate a method to determine juvenile salmonid smolt rearing capacities for lakes aAuthorsMark H. Sorel, Adam G. Hansen, Kristin A. Connelly, David A. BeauchampEffect of body size and temperature on respiration of Galaxias maculatus (Pisces: Galaxiidae)
Body mass and temperature are primary determinants of metabolic rate in ectothermic animals. Oxygen consumption of post-larval Galaxias maculatus was measured in respirometry trials under different temperatures (5–21°C) and varying body masses (0.1–>1.5 g) spanning a relevant range of thermal conditions and sizes. Specific respiration rates (R in g O2 g−1 d−1) declined as a power function of bodyAuthorsD. Milano, P.H. Vigliano, David A. BeauchampGrowth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss under size-selective pressure limited by seasonal bioenergetic and environmental constraints
Increased freshwater growth of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss improved survival to smolt and adult stages, thus prompting an examination of factors affecting growth during critical periods that influenced survival through subsequent life stages. For three tributaries with contrasting thermal regimes, a bioenergetics model was used to evaluate how feeding rate and energy density of prey infAuthorsJamie N. Thompson, David A. BeauchampPredation by Northern Pikeminnow and tiger muskellunge on juvenile salmonids in a high–head reservoir: Implications for anadromous fish reintroductions
The feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids into reservoirs above high-head dams is affected by the suitability of the reservoir habitat for rearing and the interactions of the resident fish with introduced fish. We evaluated the predation risk to anadromous salmonids considered for reintroduction in Merwin Reservoir on the North Fork Lewis River in Washington State for two reservoir useAuthorsMark H. Sorel, Adam G. Hansen, Kristin A. Connelly, Andrew C. Wilson, Erin D. Lowery, David A. BeauchampPiscivorous fish exhibit temperature-influenced binge feeding during an annual prey pulse
Understanding the limits of consumption is important for determining trophic influences on ecosystems and predator adaptations to inconsistent prey availability. Fishes have been observed to consume beyond what is sustainable (i.e. digested on a daily basis), but this phenomenon of hyperphagia (or binge-feeding) is largely overlooked. We expect hyperphagia to be a short-term (1-day) event that isAuthorsNathan B. Furey, Scott G. Hinch, Matthew G. Mesa, David A. BeauchampLake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) suppression for bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) recovery in Flathead Lake, Montana, North America
Non-native lake trout Salvelinus namaycush displaced native bull trout Salvelinus confluentus in Flathead Lake, Montana, USA, after 1984, when Mysis diluviana became abundant following its introduction in upstream lakes in 1968–1976. We developed a simulation model to determine the fishing mortality rate on lake trout that would enable bull trout recovery. Model simulations indicated that suppressAuthorsMichael J. Hansen, Barry S Hansen, David A. BeauchampDevelopment of a bioenergetics model for the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus
The Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus is widely distributed across northern hemisphere ecosystems, has ecological influence as an abundant planktivore, and is commonly used as a model organism, but the species lacks a comprehensive model to describe bioenergetic performance in response to varying environmental or ecological conditions. This study parameterized a bioenergetics model forAuthorsRachel A. Hovel, David A. Beauchamp, Adam G. Hansen, Mark H. SorelExtensive feeding on sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts by bull trout Salvelinus confluentus during initial outmigration into a small, unregulated and inland British Columbia river
Stomach contents were collected and analysed from 22 bull trout Salvelinus confluentus at the edge of the Chilko Lake and Chilko River in British Columbia, Canada, during spring outmigration of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka smolts. Twenty of the 22 (>90%) stomachs contained prey items, virtually all identifiable prey items were outmigrant O. nerka smolts and stomach contents represented a largAuthorsNathan B. Furey, Scott G. Hinch, A.G. Lotto, 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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