Tuesday, May 27, 2008
251

Brook trout populations in reference and logged headwater catchments: Does a younger forest produce more brook trout?

Timothy Mihuc, Lake Champlain Research Institute, SUNY Plattsburgh, 101 Broad Street, Plattsburgh, NY 12901

As part of a  broader study to examine the impacts of land-use (logging) in Adirondack upland streams Brook Trout populations were assessed in 18 headwater streams.  Brook trout had higher biomass and density in sites containing the youngest forest communities.  Watershed geomorphology was similar between land use types while streams in logged watersheds had more stored organic matter and finer substrate.  Macroinvertebrate taxa richness was significantly reduced in managed watersheds (p=0.006).  Stream leaf litter was generally of higher food quality in logged sites while periphyton biomass decreased suggesting that terrestrial energy is likely supporting the increase in fish biomass.  Individual fish (within and between sites) exhibited a wide range of opportunistic feeding strategies.  Multivariate comparisons suggest that, in general, catchment scale variables are important drivers for many biotic responses in these systems and that reducing forest age or maintaining forests in a young successional state results in increased fish productivity in Adirondack headwater systems.


Web Page: Forest age, Trout productivity, Adirondack streams

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