We tested the effects of phosphorus (P) fertilization and soil water on the growth, physiology, and total nitrogen (N) accumulation in N-fixing Scotch broom in Olympia, WA. We manipulated soil water and P availability via irrigation and fertilization, respectively, in a completely randomized 2 x 2 factorial on potted one-year old Scotch broom seedlings (n = 20) in an N-deficient sand. There was substantial evidence that increased-irrigation and P-fertilization had similar positive effects on N accumulation in Scotch broom approximately equally. High-irrigation rates were more often associated with positive physiological and growth responses in Scotch broom than fertilization, however. Although the irrigation × fertilization interaction was not significant, there were additive effects of high-irrigation and fertilization on biomass and N content as both were 50% greater in the fertilized-and-high-irrigation treatment relative to the respective fertilized and high-irrigation treatments. We noted an accumulation of N and P in the plant tissues. Analyses indicated a pattern of decreasing function and growth with increasing N and P concentrations in Scotch broom biomass, suggesting plant growth and physiology were limited by some other resource. Total plant N content values ranged from 7.0±1.1 g plant-1 in the control and 23.4 g±9.0 plant-1 in the fertilized-and-high-irrigation treatment. Extrapolated to typical densities of comparably sized Scotch broom plants on invaded sites in the western Pacific Northwest, these findings suggest that, at least, 12–65 kg N ha-1 would be found in Scotch broom plants in the field.
Ecological resources for fishes in stream food webs shift over space and time, providing a complex template of available resources that can be used for growth. We tracked water temperature in conjunction with young-of-year Coho Salmon size, growth, and diet in 2 streams with contrasting thermal regimes: a groundwater stream with colder temperatures and lower thermal variability all year and a surface-water stream with greater thermal variability and warmer summer temperatures more conducive to young-of-year salmon growth. We hypothesized that fry emergence would occur when rearing conditions are optimal for growth and that, all else being equal, summer fish growth will be greater in the surface-water stream. Previous work on Coho Salmon phenology in these streams showed that peak fry emergence occurred at the same time in early summer in both streams. We measured salmon fry emergence in relation to thermal variability and macroinvertebrate prey availability with subsequent tracking of somatic growth, diet, and body size during the 1st year of life in both streams. Macroinvertebrate prey availability was highest overall in the colder and thermally-stable groundwater stream than the surface-water stream. Prey availability was particularly high in the thalweg drift during peak fry emergence in the groundwater stream. There was no difference in Coho Salmon diet composition between streams, which included invertebrates from benthic, drift, and riparian habitats. We found no differences in young-of-year Coho Salmon body size, growth, or consumption between streams. Overall, our results suggest that large differences in thermal regimes do not necessarily translate to large differences in young-of-year Coho Salmon size, growth, or diet. Many variables can influence fish growth, and there is not always a direct connection between spatial and temporal dimensions of environmental variability and their cascading effects on young-of-year Coho Salmon growth during the 1st summer of life.
Glaciers have shaped past and present habitats for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in North America. During the last glacial maximum, approximately 45% of the current North American range of Pacific salmon was covered in ice. Currently, most salmon habitat occurs in watersheds in which glacier ice is present and retreating. This synthesis examines the multiple ways that glacier retreat can influence aquatic ecosystems through the lens of Pacific salmon life cycles. We predict that the coming decades will result in areas in which salmon populations will be challenged by diminished water flows and elevated water temperatures, areas in which salmon productivity will be enhanced as downstream habitat suitability increases, and areas in which new river and lake habitat will be formed that can be colonized by anadromous salmon. Effective conservation and management of salmon habitat and populations should consider the impacts of glacier retreat and other sources of ecosystem change.
One of the first forest genetics studies in the United States launched in 1912 in the Pacific Northwest. Researchers at that time gathered Douglas-fir seeds from various locations in Oregon and Washington, raised the seedlings in a nursery, then transplanted them to places other than where the seeds originated.
The results had wide-ranging impact, revealing a link between seed origin and where the resulting seedlings were likely to thrive. These results led to the delineation of “seed zones,” an essential set of guidelines used for decades in reforestation projects to ensure that newly planted seedlings are suited to local conditions. However, as climates change, these guidelines may no longer be as effective.
Brad St. Clair with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, and colleagues revisited the 1912 study in search of clues to help guide tree planting into the future.
Applying new statistical tools to old data, the scientists found that temperature affected the survival of trees planted in the 1912 study. Douglas-fir planted in areas where the temperature was about 4 ⁰F (2 ⁰C) warmer or colder than where their seed originated did not survive as well as ones planted within that temperature range. Results lead researchers to project that warmer temperatures will have a negative effect on Douglas-fir, while planting seedlings in areas cooler than their native zone may help forests thrive into the next century.
The movement patterns of native migratory fishes may reflect different selection pressures in different environments that are associated with predictable patterns of temperature and discharge. Spatial and temporal variability in the movement patterns of adult Coho Salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch were explored with data that were collected from the Umpqua River basin, Oregon, focusing on two points in their return migration: (1) main-stem midriver migration timing of adult Coho Salmon as they pass Winchester Dam, Oregon, and (2) adult spawn timing in tributary streams of the Smith River. Main-stem migration of Coho Salmon as they pass Winchester Dam began 7 to 15 d after peak annual water temperature, when mean daily temperatures cooled to 18°C, but before the increases in discharge that are associated with autumn rains. Although migration timing appeared to be strongly related to river temperature, spawn timing of Coho Salmon in tributaries of the Smith River subbasin appeared to respond to a combination of both discharge and temperature thresholds. Spawning occurred after initial annual peak discharge events and when stream temperatures fell below a threshold of 12°C. These results directly inform water conservation and protection planning for environmental flow criteria and thermal ranges during migration and spawn timing of imperiled Coho Salmon in the Oregon Coast Range.
Forests provide a suite of goods and services that are vital to human health and livelihoods. Studies of ecosystem services, which frequently attempt to place a monetary value on forest processes and organisms, can help inform management decisions by providing a baseline for discussing the costs and benefits of different management options.
A recent study by Pacific Northwest Research Station researchers, Adelaide “Di” Johnson and Ryan Bellmore, along with retired Forest Service fisheries biologist Ron Medel and Alaska Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist Stormy Haught, aimed to quantify the number and monetary value of commercially caught Pacific salmon from Alaska’s Tongass and Chugach National Forests. These two national forests contain some of the world’s largest remaining tracts of intact temperate rain forest.
Between 2007 and 2016, the Tongass and Chugach supported harvests of approximately 48 million salmon per year, valued at more than $88 million annually. This comprised approximately 25 percent of all commercially caught salmon in Alaska and 16 percent of its total monetary value. Quantitative information about the value of Alaska’s national forests for fish production can contribute to discussions about management decisions that might influence the capacity of these forests to sustain Pacific salmon in the future.
Soil and the inherent biogeochemical processes in wetlands contrast starkly with those in upland forests and rangelands. The differences stem from extended periods of anoxia, or the lack of oxygen in the soil, that characterize wetland soils; in contrast, upland soils are nearly always oxic. As a result, wetland soil biogeochemistry is characterized by anaerobic processes, and wetland vegetation exhibits specific adaptations to grow under these conditions. However, many wetlands may also have periods during the year where the soils are unsaturated and aerated. This fluctuation between aerated and nonaerated soil conditions, along with the specialized vegetation, gives rise to a wide variety of highly valued ecosystem services.
As we reflect on the rich history of the American Fisheries Society (AFS), no greater inspiration emerges than the pioneering figure of our 47th president, Dr. Emmeline Moore. In addition to serving as the Society’s first woman president, her groundbreaking research in the fields of aquatic ecology, fish health, and watershed-based ecosystems irrevocably shaped fisheries research and management. She led the New York State Conservation Department (NYSCD), reminiscing “I had to be all things to all fishes”. She was similarly broad in her service to AFS as is demonstrated by her participation in more than a dozen diverse committees throughout her tenure with AFS providing consistent high-level expertise, synthesis, and leadership. From award-winning presentations to regular donations to Society funds, her legacy reveals a mixture of brilliance, talent, and dedication to fisheries and to AFS. With over 25 first-author publications she broke boundaries as the first woman to publish in Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, and later the first woman in the U.S. to publish a paper on fish diseases. Dr. Moore not only strengthened the Society, but fisheries science as a whole.
As the American Fisheries Society (AFS) approaches its sesquicentennial, it is a time to take a moment to celebrate the increasing diversity within the Society and the pivotal role of pioneering women in shaping fisheries. Gender disparities still persist in science, including in fisheries where only a fraction of academic tenure-track, research, and federal scientist positions are held by women, though attainment of PhDs in biological sciences is equal between women and men. In addition, an extensive review of published peer-reviewed articles in both the International Aquaculture Curated Database and JSTOR revealed that only 15% of authors are women. As result, only 21% of most-cited fisheries articles are from women authors. Despite all of these efforts, there is still a lack of both representation and recognition of women’s contributions to fisheries. In light of the profound influence that women have had in fisheries science and AFS, we take a moment to recognize contributions of some of the historical mothers of fishes and AFS, in keeping with the theme of ‘The Father of All the Fishes’.
Watershed assessments have become common for prioritizing restoration in river networks. These assessments primarily focus on geomorphic conditions of rivers but less frequently incorporate non-geomorphic abiotic factors such as water chemistry and temperature, and biotic factors such as the structure of food webs. Using a dynamic food web model that integrates physical and ecological environmental conditions of rivers, we simulated how juvenile salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) biomass responded to restoration at twelve sites distributed across the Methow River (Washington, USA), ranging from headwater tributaries to mainstem reaches. We explored responses to three common river restoration strategies: (1) physical habitat modification, (2) nutrient supplementation, and (3) increased riparian vegetation cover. We also simulated how different food web configurations that exist in salmon-bearing streams, such as the presence of ‘non-target’ fishes and ‘armored’ predation resistant invertebrates, could mediate restoration outcomes. Some locations in the river network experienced relatively large increases in modeled fish biomass with restoration, whereas other locations were almost entirely unresponsive. Spatial variation in restoration outcomes was primarily controlled by non-geomorphic environmental conditions, such as nutrient availability, water temperature, and stream canopy cover. Restoration responses also varied significantly with different food web configurations, suggesting that as the structure of food webs varies across river networks, so too could the outcome of restoration. These findings illustrate that ecological responses to restoration may exhibit substantial spatial variation within river networks, resulting from heterogeneity in environmental conditions that are commonly overlooked—but which can and should be considered—in restoration planning and prioritization.
Along with altering fire regimes; climate change has the potential to increase stream temperatures in many freshwater systems in the western United States.
Mission
We increase understanding of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems and their linkages
Our Value
We provide knowledge of agents and pathways of change in terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems to managers, policy and decision makers, regulators, and the public. Our work explores key biological, physical, and social aspects of forest ecosystems and supports science-management partnerships vital to meeting society’s goals for forest goods and services.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecology and their linkages
Develop integrated management alternatives to provide desired goods and services
Create and refine models, databases, and tools to evaluate management alternatives
Our Expertise
Biological Conservation
Botany
Ecological Modeling
Fish Biology
Forest Science
Freshwater Biology
Genomics & Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology Methods
Molecular Ecology
Soil Analysis
Wildlife Management
How We Work
We support and encourage collaborations among program scientists and staff, irrespective of team boundaries, and with scientists in other programs to leverage the talent needed to answer the increasingly integrated questions. We promote integration of skills to answer the broad-based questions society is asking about interrelationships and processes.
Engineered log jams and rock barbs extending from streambanks were installed to enhance instream habitat for Chinook salmon and steelhead in the Entiat River watershed; Washington. Scientists found more Chinook salmon using pools and the microhabitats created by the restoration structures compared to sites without restoration structures.
Mission
We increase understanding of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems and their linkages
Our Value
We provide knowledge of agents and pathways of change in terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems to managers, policy and decision makers, regulators, and the public. Our work explores key biological, physical, and social aspects of forest ecosystems and supports science-management partnerships vital to meeting society’s goals for forest goods and services.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecology and their linkages
Develop integrated management alternatives to provide desired goods and services
Create and refine models, databases, and tools to evaluate management alternatives
Our Expertise
Biological Conservation
Botany
Ecological Modeling
Fish Biology
Forest Science
Freshwater Biology
Genomics & Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology Methods
Molecular Ecology
Soil Analysis
Wildlife Management
How We Work
We support and encourage collaborations among program scientists and staff, irrespective of team boundaries, and with scientists in other programs to leverage the talent needed to answer the increasingly integrated questions. We promote integration of skills to answer the broad-based questions society is asking about interrelationships and processes.
Warmer winters resulting from climate change will lead to higher streamflows in southeast Alaska. Some studies suggest that the higher flows will result in more salmon egg mortality as the eggs are scoured from the streambed. However; the geomorphic features of a stream largely determine the response of the streambed to high flows.
Mission
We increase understanding of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems and their linkages
Our Value
We provide knowledge of agents and pathways of change in terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems to managers, policy and decision makers, regulators, and the public. Our work explores key biological, physical, and social aspects of forest ecosystems and supports science-management partnerships vital to meeting society’s goals for forest goods and services.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecology and their linkages
Develop integrated management alternatives to provide desired goods and services
Create and refine models, databases, and tools to evaluate management alternatives
Our Expertise
Biological Conservation
Botany
Ecological Modeling
Fish Biology
Forest Science
Freshwater Biology
Genomics & Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology Methods
Molecular Ecology
Soil Analysis
Wildlife Management
How We Work
We support and encourage collaborations among program scientists and staff, irrespective of team boundaries, and with scientists in other programs to leverage the talent needed to answer the increasingly integrated questions. We promote integration of skills to answer the broad-based questions society is asking about interrelationships and processes.
Volcanoes are broadly distributed around the earth; with more than 1;500 currently active and dozens erupting at any point in time. After eruptions; natural; agricultural; and social systems are often profoundly disrupted and may remain so for centuries. The formal study of volcano ecology began in 1883 with the eruption of Krakatau (Indonesia).
Mission
We increase understanding of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems and their linkages
Our Value
We provide knowledge of agents and pathways of change in terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecosystems to managers, policy and decision makers, regulators, and the public. Our work explores key biological, physical, and social aspects of forest ecosystems and supports science-management partnerships vital to meeting society’s goals for forest goods and services.
Our Focus
Improve knowledge of terrestrial, aquatic, and riparian ecology and their linkages
Develop integrated management alternatives to provide desired goods and services
Create and refine models, databases, and tools to evaluate management alternatives
Our Expertise
Biological Conservation
Botany
Ecological Modeling
Fish Biology
Forest Science
Freshwater Biology
Genomics & Nucleic Acids
Molecular Biology Methods
Molecular Ecology
Soil Analysis
Wildlife Management
How We Work
We support and encourage collaborations among program scientists and staff, irrespective of team boundaries, and with scientists in other programs to leverage the talent needed to answer the increasingly integrated questions. We promote integration of skills to answer the broad-based questions society is asking about interrelationships and processes.
