Occurrence of Bull Trout in Naturally Fragmented Habitat Patches of Varied Size
- 1 May 1995
- journal article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society
- Vol. 124 (3) , 285-296
- https://doi.org/10.1577/1548-8659(1995)124<0285:oobtin>2.3.co;2
Abstract
Bull trout Salvelinus confluentus and other salmonids in the Pacific Northwest are believed at risk of local and regional extinctions because of ongoing habitat loss and fragmentation. Biologists have focused on defining and protecting critical stream channel characteristics, but there is little information regarding the scale or spatial geometry of habitat that may be necessary for the species' long-term persistence. We investigated the influence of habitat patch size on the occurrence of bull trout by determining the presence or absence of fish in naturally fragmented watersheds of the Boise River basin in Idaho. We defined patches of potential habitat for bull trout as watersheds above 1,600 m elevation, a criterion based on the presumed restriction of local populations by stream temperature. We used logistic regression to investigate the possible influence of patch size as well as stream width and gradient on the occurrence of bull trout at reach, stream, and patch scales of analysis. Both st...Keywords
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