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Annual Review of ONRC Research

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1995
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2004

External Research 2003

Title:
Refining a Landscape-Scale Habitat Model and Inland Monitoring Program for Marbled Murrelets in the Olympic Peninsula

Principal investigator(s); affiliations(s):
Mr. Brian Cooper, ABR, Inc.

Award:
$31,868

Project description:
Results from our previous studies on the Olympic Peninsula suggested that changes in the amount or distribution of nesting habitat should result in detectable changes in murrelet numbers at the scale of individual drainages. In 2002, we combined our habitat model with J. Marzluff’s predation model into an integrated model of murrelet abundance and productivity in relation to forest cover on the Olympic Peninsula. The initial model developed from this work showed great promise as a tool to help land managers develop a timber management strategy for murrelets in individual drainages. The model could be used to help identify which watersheds support higher numbers and productivity of murrelets and identify the appropriate configuration of habitat needed on the landscape to meet management goals. This is a proposal to continue our radar studies in order to continue to refine the habitatpredation model and to use a new technique to validate Marzluff’s predation model by testing the hypothesis that watersheds with higher predation risk have a lower proportion of breeding murrelets (as measured by the ratio of evening/morning radar counts in July). Results of this study also would be used to monitor population trends of murrelets in 10 major drainages on the Olympic Peninsula and compare those inland population trends on murrelets with trends in ongoing marine counts and study the effects of at-sea conditions (as measured by sea surface temperature) on the inland abundance of murrelets.

Project deliverable(s):
Project is open.

Refining a Landscape-Scale Habitat Model and Inland Monitoring Program for Marbled Murrelets in the Olympic Peninsula - Final Report

Title:
Linking Human Actions to Salmon Productivity: Intensive Watershed Monitoring

Principal investigator(s); affiliations(s):
Dr. William Ehinger, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration

Award:
$7,000

Project description:
Efforts to increase salmon and steelhead populations are common across the Pacific Northwest. However, our understanding of how these efforts have affected overall salmon productivity is very poor. Watershed-level experiments will be required to determine the response of salmon populations to regulatory and restoration actions. This project will begin to develop the research infrastructure to enable the implementation of these large experiments. We will partner with the Salmon Index Watershed Monitoring Redesign Group’s efforts to initiate intensive studies in at least three sets of watersheds in western Washington.

Project deliverable(s):
Project is open.

Title:
Effect of Marine Derived Nutrients on Insect Production in Salmon Spawning Streams.

Principal investigator(s); affiliations(s):
Dr. Robert Gara; University of Washington

Award:
$47,312

Project description:
A primary trophic interaction of anadromous salmonids appears to involve the release of marine-derived nutrients (MDN) from spawning adults and later from their spawned-out carcasses. Other research has found that many types of organisms inhabiting or visiting streams and riparian areas utilize MDN. This MDN fertilization, repeated with each spawning, benefits juvenile salmonids that may remain in streams for up to three years after hatching, depending on species. To discover how macroinvertebrates facilitate the transfer of MDN from adult to juvenile salmonids, this project will quantify the pathways of MDN to macroinvertebrates by monitoring the response of aquatic macroinvertebrate production to salmon carcass decomposition. These production estimates will provide a measure of the total energy available to higher consumers, including juvenile salmon. In addition, the project will evaluate the relative importance of the different pathways of MDN to aquatic macroinvertebrates by monitoring changes in production in each of the major trophic categories of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Finally, the project will determine if juvenile salmon benefit from MDN at the study sites, as has been shown elsewhere.

Project deliverable(s):

Title:
Does Riparian Red Alder Increase Fish Performance?

Principal investigator(s); affiliations(s):
Dr. Robert Edmonds; University of Washington
Dr. Peter M. Kiffney; University of Washington

Award:
$40,128

Project description:
A management practice becoming more common in the Pacific Northwest is to remove red alder bordering streams and replant with conifers, because conifers provide a more stable supply of large woody debris to streams, and thus form important fish habitat. This research tests the hypothesis that streams bordered by red alder are more productive than streams bordered by coniferous species. Researchers will examine litter inputs, stream water nutrient chemistry, periphyton biomass, stream invertebrate and vertebrate abundance and biomass, and elemental dynamics (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous content) of these compartments in small streams on the Olympic Peninsula (Skokomish and Hoh River drainages) with contrasting riparian forests. Riparian vegetation at one set of streams (n = 3-4) is dominated by stands of red alder. This project will also conduct experiments to examine the response to stream food webs, including juvenile coho salmon (Onchorhynchus kisutch) to different litter types (i.e., alder verses conifer needles). Results from our comparative and experimental studies will provide information on the influences of litter type on nutrient dynamics and ecosystem productivity in streams of the Olympic Peninsula; this information is essential for designing ecologically effective management strategies for riparian forests, their streams and recovery of depressed salmon stocks.

Project deliverable(s):
Kiffney, P. M., C. J. Volk, T. Beechie, G. Murray, G. Pess, and R. Edmonds. (2004). A rare disturbance event alters community and ecosystem properties in West Twin Creek, Olympic National Park, Washington. American Midland Naturalist 152:268-303.

Volk, C. J., P. M. Kiffney, R. L. Edmonds. (2003) Role of riparian red alder (Alnus rubra) in the nutrient dynamics of coastal streams of the Olympic Peninsula, WA, U.S.A. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 34: 213-228.

Kiffney, P. M., R. E. Bilby, and B. Sanderson (2004). Monitoring the effects of nutrient enrichment on freshwater ecosystems. In Monitoring stream and watershed restoration, P. Roni, editor. American Fisheries Society.

Volk, C. and P. M. Kiffney. (in review) Nutrient limitation in red alder and conifer forested streams of western Washington. Freshwater Biology.