Moving Beyond Distribution and Abundance in Quantifying Fish Habitat Selection

Monday, August 20, 2012: 1:15 PM-5:15 PM
Meeting Room 13 (RiverCentre)
Identification of species’ distribution and abundance in response to environmental variability and ecosystem dynamics is the basis of much first-level work in fish ecology.  The important correlates of species distributions and abundance are informative metrics for evaluating the potential of a species to persist in a particular habitat type and what restrictions exist on the species' productivity, density, or abundance. Although these studies certainly have value, conclusions are often difficult because seemingly appropriate habitat appears under-matched by fish density. This is likely because important ecological and processes that are critical for understanding mechanisms of fish species resilience have been overlooked.  In fact, numerical density can be misleading in situations where smaller sub-populations actually have higher survivorship, fecundity or other response correlated with fitness. Behavioral and life history responses to predation risk, competition, parasites or pathogens often incorporate important selective processes that can vary significantly over a species range.  Theoretical approaches may also provide a conceptual basis to guide empirical studies that expand the understanding of mechanisms that enable species persistence in specific habitats or ecosystems.  In this symposium, we invite speakers working on a range of species responses to spatial heterogeneity in habitat conditions in aquatic, and marine environments, who have found unique insights into the ecology of the species by examining responses beyond distribution and abundance, including life history, individual condition, behavior, and plasticity in response.  We also invite speakers working on novel theoretical approaches that consider processes that affect the fitness and/or persistence of populations across the range of variation in habitat types.
Organizers:
Karl M. Polivka and Amanda E. Rosenberger
Moderators:
Karl M. Polivka and Amanda Rosenberger
1:15 PM
Multiple Tools and Conceptual Approaches for Evaluating Factors Affecting Fish Habitat Selection
Karl M. Polivka, Pacific Northwest Research Station; Amanda E. Rosenberger, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences

1:30 PM
Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Atlantic Menhaden Larvae Along the Atlantic Coast
Hao Yu, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Hongsheng Bi, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Jonathan Hare, NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center; Edward D. Houde, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

1:45 PM
Influence of Environmental and Spatial Variables on the Habitat Selection of Spiny Dogfish: Implications for Understanding the Species Life History Strategy and Management in the Northwest Atlantic
Skyler Sagarese, Stony Brook University; Michael G. Frisk, Stony Brook University; Thomas J. Miller, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science; Katherine Sosebee, NOAA, NEFSC; John A. Musick, Virginia Institute of Marine Sciene, College of William & Mary; Paul Rago, NOAA, NEFSC

2:00 PM
The Role of Spatial Structure and Habitat Effects in the Dynamics of Coastal Fish Populations
Juliane Struve, University of Florida ; Kai Lorenzen, University of Florida

2:15 PM
Experimental Evidence Shows Instream Cover as a Limiting Resource for Stream-Dwelling Trout
Brooke Penaluna, Oregon State University ; Jason Dunham, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center

2:30 PM
Physiology in the Service of Fisheries Science - Providing Mechanistic Explanations Linking Environment and Behavior
Andrij Z. Horodysky, Hampton University, Hampton, VA; Richard W. Brill, National Marine Fisheries Service; Steven J. Cooke, Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Carleton University

2:45 PM
Does Condition of Young-of-the-Year Fish Vary Among Nursery Habitats in Chesapeake Bay?
Ryan Schloesser, Virginia Institute of Marine Science; Mary C. Fabrizio, Virginia Institute of Marine Science

3:00 PM
Monday PM Break


3:30 PM
3:45 PM
Population and Individual Responses of Rainbow Trout to Disturbance: An Integrated Analysis of Observation and Models
Amanda E. Rosenberger, University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences; Jason Dunham, U.S. Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center; Jason R. Neuswanger, Alaska Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Steven F. Railsback, Lang, Railsback & Associates

4:15 PM
Another Layer of Intrigue: The Importance of Stream Network Location in Explaining Density Patterns for Juvenile Coho Salmon
Rebecca Flitcroft, USDA Forest Service; Kelly. M. Burnett, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station; Gordon Reeves, USDA Forest Service; Lisa Ganio, Oregon State University

4:30 PM
Poster P-163 Seasonal and Ontogenetic Movements of Brook Trout within the Lake Superior Tributaries of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan . R. Cross and J. Leonard


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