Tuesday, May 27, 2008
277

Landscape,network, and pool metrics affecting abundance of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) within 40 watersheds of western oregon

Christy Meredith, The Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University, 5210 Old Main Hill NR 210, Logan, UT 84322, Matthew E. Baker, Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 211 Sondhiem Hall, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, and Robert Gresswell, U. S. Geological Survery-BRD; Montana State University, Billings, MT.

Relationships between coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) abundance and whole-watershed measures of landscape characteristics, network structure, valley confinement, and reach architecture were explored for 40 small watersheds (< 8 km) in western Oregon.  The data was collected as part of a larger effort to examine factors influencing the spatial distribution of cutthroat trout within headwater streams. Field collection consisted of contiguous measures of fish abundance and geomorphic unit types. Watershed characterizations included contributing area, eco-region, geology, soil type, average annual temperature and precipitation, mean slope, and hypsometric variation.  Network measures included drainage density, confluence density, and tributary: mainstem size ratios.  Reach measures included estimates of valley constraint, variation in gradient, as well as pool dimensions and longitudinal spacing. Preliminary results show that trout abundance is significantly correlated with the relative amount of scour pools among and within watersheds. The spatial distribution of scour pools varies widely across watersheds, but shows some relationship to measures of valley confinement and network structure.  Further investigation will explore hierarchical linkages between watershed geomorphic structure and the distribution of trout habitat.


Web Page: cutthroat trout, landscape,network structure