Nick hudson
Evaluating Effects of Flow on Juvenile Trout Production and Survival in Southwest Montana Watersheds
Habitat often forms a template that shapes the dynamics of animal populations. In Southwest Montana, trout populations and in-stream flows have concurrently reached record lows in recent years. Although this relationship has been well documented in main-stem rivers, very little is understood about how flow influences populations dynamics in tributary streams that are often diverse in geomorphology and flow regime and provide robust production of juvenile fish. My research will quantify flow, juvenile trout production and survival across a diverse portfolio of tributary habitats that differ in geomorphology, habitat type, and land use across 4 years. These sites are located across the Big Hole, Beaverhead, and Ruby rivers - three basins that have struggled with low flows and declining trout populations. These data will be critical to understanding how flow will affect future trout populations and allow the identification of key habitat variables to focus conservation and management towards to buffer populations from declines under a changing climate.
Nick Hudson is a PhD student in the Ecology Department at Montana State University. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences, and a M.S. from the University of California, Davis in Animal Biology. He has also worked across the country, including in Vermont, Idaho, and Washington, on a variety of projects ranging from temperate lake fish ecology to pacific salmon conservation.