Biotic and abiotic factors affecting short-term survival of two age-0 Rainbow Trout strains in Colorado streams

North American Journal of Fisheries Management
By: , and 

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Abstract

Both biotic and abiotic factors can influence the survival and growth of age-0 salmonids. Diseases, such as whirling disease, can also affect salmonid demographics and population dynamics. Here, we conducted a supplementary analysis and evaluated specific stream characteristics that may have been responsible for the differences in growth and survival of two whirling disease resistant Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss strains observed by Avila et al. (2018). We used regression modeling to analyze the influence of the biotic and abiotic characteristics of nine streams on the short-term apparent survival and growth of two Rainbow Trout strains, 5,000 German Rainbow Trout and 5,000 German Rainbow Trout × Colorado River Rainbow Trout in each stream. Akaike's information criterion (AICc) model selection was used to identify the factors that most affected short-term survival and growth. Average stream temperature had the largest (positive) effect, βtemp = 0.060, on short-term survival. Rainbow Trout strain, average stream temperature (βtemp = 1.55), competitor biomass (βcompetitor biomass = −0.002), and predator number (βpredator number = 0.01) additively affected short-term growth. Our results indicate that both biotic and abiotic factors are important short-term determinants of Rainbow Trout poststocking performance and may account for the differences in survival and growth that we observed among stocking locations.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Biotic and abiotic factors affecting short-term survival of two age-0 Rainbow Trout strains in Colorado streams
Series title North American Journal of Fisheries Management
DOI 10.1002/nafm.10895
Volume 43
Issue 3
Year Published 2023
Language English
Publisher American Fisheries Society
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Seattle
Description 8 p.
First page 786
Last page 793
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