Effects of Temperature and Spatial Scale on Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Growth and Abundance.

ABSTRACT: Diversity in habitat and life-history strategies promote a species' long-term persistence. However, life-history strategies are most commonly studied at broad spatial and temporal scales. We applied longevity growth models and closed N-mixture models to examine within- versus between stream variability in life-history characteristics of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in northern New Mexico streams. We developed a von Bertalanffy growth model and a closed N-mixture model in a hierarchical Bayesian framework to examine the importance of fine-scale variability in temperature and density-dependence on growth and abundance. The model indicated that accumulation of degree days likely positively influenced instantaneous growth rates and, to a lesser extent, negatively affected asymptotic body length.

SUBMITTER: Huntsman BM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6145496 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature