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09-1-02-8
2009
06/01/2009
11/13/2013
Fire and Fish Dynamics in a Changing Climate: Broad- and Local-Scale Effects of Fire-Induced Water Temperature Changes on Native and Nonnative Fish Communities
Fire is a key natural disturbance that affects the distribution and abundance of native fishes in the Rocky Mountain West.In the absence of migratory individuals from undisturbed portions of a watershed, persistence of native fish populations depends on the conditions of the post-fire stream environment.Stream temperatures typically warm after fire, and remain elevated until riparian vegetation recovers. An additional threat to native species is that nonnative fishes have invaded many waters, and these species tolerate or prefer warmer water temperatures. Thus, forecasting the long-term effects of fire on native fish populations requires an understanding of fire dynamics (size, distribution, frequency, and severity), the extent and location of changes in riparian forest structure and time to recovery, changes in stream temperatures associated with these forest changes, and how native and nonnative fish respond to changes in water temperature. By revisiting a large number of previously sampled sitesmany exposed to fire since 2000in the Bitterroot River basin in Montana, we propose to test whether bull trout persistence and other native and nonnative fish distributions are related to temperature changes associated with fire and recent climatic trends. Field-derived relationships will then be used to link the fire-forest succession model Fire-BGCv2 with a stream temperature model to predict changes in bull trout persistence and other native and nonnative fishes. Our spatially explicit simulation modeling will evaluate the quantitative relationships among fire disturbance, stream temperature, and fish communities over long periods and varying spatial scales. Analyses of model output will allow us to examine temporal and spatial changes in water temperature and fish distributions and note what types of fire and landscape characteristics produce these patterns at different scales. This will provide the ability to predict potential thresholds in fire risk and the scales at which to expect recovery in stream temperatures (and fish communities) both temporally and spatially under various fire and climate regimes across the landscape.Given that climate change appears to be affecting both fire patterns and air temperature, tools that assist managers in predicting changes in the distribution of fire and the influence of fire management on native fishes are a critical need.
Michael K. Young
Forest Service
RMRS-Forestry Sciences Lab-Missoula

Other Project Collaborators

Other Project Collaborators

Type

Name

Agency/Organization

Branch or Dept

Co-Principal Investigator

Dan J. Isaak

Forest Service

RMRS-Aquatic Sciences Lab

Co-Principal Investigator

Lisa A. Eby

University of Montana

Wildlife Biology Program

Co-Principal Investigator

Lisa M. Holsinger

Forest Service

RMRS-Fire Sciences Lab-Missoula

Co-Principal Investigator

Robert E. Keane

Forest Service

RMRS-Fire, Fuel & Smoke Science Program

Federal Cooperator

Michael K. Young

Forest Service

RMRS-Forestry Sciences Lab-Missoula

Federal Fiscal Representative

Susan T. Major

Forest Service

RMRS-Rocky Mountain Research Station

Project Locations

Project Locations

Fire Science Exchange Network

Northern Rockies

Northwest

Southern Rockies

California

Great Basin

Southwest

Level

State

Agency

Unit

STATE

MT

FS

Bitterroot National Forest

Final Report

Project Deliverables

Title
 
The FireBGCv2 landscape fire succession model: a research simulation platform for exploring fire andView
Much ado about relatively little? The resilience of trout populations to fire.View
Evidence of impacts of warming streams temperatures and wildfire on trout distribution.View
Impacts of climate change and wildfire on stream temperature and bull trout in the East Fork BitterrView
Fire Management TodayView
International Journal of Wildland FireView
Transactions of the American Fisheries SocietyView
Climatic ChangeView
Nature Climate ChangeView
Ecology of Freshwater FishesView

Supporting Documents