Abstract
The positioning of fishes within a riverscape is dependent on the proximity of complementary habitats. In this study, foraging and non-foraging habitat were quantified monthly over an entire year for a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) population in an isolated, headwater stream in southcentral New Mexico. The stream follows a seasonal thermal and hydrologic pattern typical for a Southwestern stream and was deemed suitable for re-introduction of the native and close relative, Rio Grande cutthroat trout (O. clarkii virginalis). However, uncertainty associated with limited habitat needed to be resolved if repatriation of the native fish was to be successful. Habitat was evaluated using resource selection functions with a mechanistic drift-foraging model to explain trout distributions. Macroinvertebrate drift was strongly season- and temperature-dependent (lower in winter and spring, higher in summer and fall). Models identified stream depth as the most limiting factor for habitat selection across seasons and size-classes. Additionally, positions closer to cover were selected during the winter by smaller size-classes (0, 1, 2), while net energy intake was important during the spring for most size-classes (0, 1, 2, 3). Drift-foraging models identified that 81% of observed trout selected positions that could meet maintenance levels throughout the year. Moreover, 40% of selected habitats could sustain maximum growth. Stream positions occupied by rainbow trout were more energetically profitable than random sites regardless of season or size-class. Larger size-classes (3, 4+) were energetically more limited throughout the year than were smaller size-classes. This research suggests that habitat in the form of deep pools is of paramount importance for rainbow trout or native cutthroat trout.
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Acknowledgements
Financial support for this study was provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tribal Wildlife Grant (GR3386). Support was also provided by New Mexico State University Agriculture Experiment Station- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, and U.S. Geological Survey- New Mexico Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. A special thanks goes to M. Montoya, for providing housing and assistance with logistics. Field assistance was provided by S. Hall and W. Gould offered valuable insight. A special thanks goes to W. Fisher for his review and thoughtful comments. The project was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of New Mexico State University’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (Project 2011-035) and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Scientific Collection Permit (#3033). All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
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Kalb, B.W., Huntsman, B.M., Caldwell, C.A. et al. A mechanistic assessment of seasonal microhabitat selection by drift-feeding rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in a Southwestern headwater stream. Environ Biol Fish 101, 257–273 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-017-0696-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-017-0696-9