Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA
Salmonid fishes provide an important indicator of climate change given their reliance on cold water. We evaluated temporal changes in the density of stream-dwelling brook trout (<i>Salvelinus fontinalis</i>) from surveys conducted over a 36-year period (1988–2023) by the Maryland Departm...
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MDPI AG
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Hydrobiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9917/3/4/19 |
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| author | Nathaniel P. Hitt Karli M. Rogers Zachary A. Kelly |
| author_facet | Nathaniel P. Hitt Karli M. Rogers Zachary A. Kelly |
| author_sort | Nathaniel P. Hitt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Salmonid fishes provide an important indicator of climate change given their reliance on cold water. We evaluated temporal changes in the density of stream-dwelling brook trout (<i>Salvelinus fontinalis</i>) from surveys conducted over a 36-year period (1988–2023) by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in Eastern North America. Nonparametric trend analyses revealed decreasing densities of adult fish (age 1+) in 19 sites (27%) and increases in 5 sites (7%). In contrast, juvenile fish (age 0) densities decreased in 4 sites (6%) and increased in 10 sites (14%). Declining adult brook trout trends were related to atmospheric warming rates during the study period, and this relationship was stronger than the effects of land use change or non-native brown trout. In contrast, juvenile fish trends generally increased with elevation but were not related to air temperature trends or land use change. Our analysis reveals significant changes in several brook trout populations over recent decades and implicates warming atmospheric conditions in population declines. Our findings also suggest the importance of temperature for adult survival rather than recruitment limitation in brook trout population dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ba3f2eb069744d59a806f47c282b2c2c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2673-9917 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Hydrobiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ba3f2eb069744d59a806f47c282b2c2c2024-12-27T14:29:40ZengMDPI AGHydrobiology2673-99172024-10-013431032410.3390/hydrobiology3040019Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USANathaniel P. Hitt0Karli M. Rogers1Zachary A. Kelly2Eastern Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 11649 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430, USAEastern Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 11649 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430, USAEastern Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 11649 Leetown Road, Kearneysville, WV 25430, USASalmonid fishes provide an important indicator of climate change given their reliance on cold water. We evaluated temporal changes in the density of stream-dwelling brook trout (<i>Salvelinus fontinalis</i>) from surveys conducted over a 36-year period (1988–2023) by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in Eastern North America. Nonparametric trend analyses revealed decreasing densities of adult fish (age 1+) in 19 sites (27%) and increases in 5 sites (7%). In contrast, juvenile fish (age 0) densities decreased in 4 sites (6%) and increased in 10 sites (14%). Declining adult brook trout trends were related to atmospheric warming rates during the study period, and this relationship was stronger than the effects of land use change or non-native brown trout. In contrast, juvenile fish trends generally increased with elevation but were not related to air temperature trends or land use change. Our analysis reveals significant changes in several brook trout populations over recent decades and implicates warming atmospheric conditions in population declines. Our findings also suggest the importance of temperature for adult survival rather than recruitment limitation in brook trout population dynamics.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9917/3/4/19brook troutclimate changetrend analysis |
| spellingShingle | Nathaniel P. Hitt Karli M. Rogers Zachary A. Kelly Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA Hydrobiology brook trout climate change trend analysis |
| title | Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA |
| title_full | Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA |
| title_fullStr | Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA |
| title_short | Declines in Brook Trout Abundance Linked to Atmospheric Warming in Maryland, USA |
| title_sort | declines in brook trout abundance linked to atmospheric warming in maryland usa |
| topic | brook trout climate change trend analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2673-9917/3/4/19 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nathanielphitt declinesinbrooktroutabundancelinkedtoatmosphericwarminginmarylandusa AT karlimrogers declinesinbrooktroutabundancelinkedtoatmosphericwarminginmarylandusa AT zacharyakelly declinesinbrooktroutabundancelinkedtoatmosphericwarminginmarylandusa |