Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the factors that regulate population dynamics is crucial for conserving imperiled species. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a piscivorous salmonid and one of North America's most threatened cold-water species, has declined significantly due to habitat loss, overfishing, invasive species, and climate change. While recovery efforts have primarily targeted these threats, the role of prey availability in influencing bull trout population dynamics under multiple stressors remains poorly understood. Using a stage-based integrated population model, we quantified the effects of non-native prey availability (kokanee; Oncorhynchus nerka), angling pressure, climatic variation, and density-dependent processes on bull trout population dynamics in Lake Koocanusa, a transboundary reserv

SUBMITTER: Cochrane MM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12513133 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature