All species of trout are highly sensitive to stream temperature. Native brook trout at the most sensitive, needing colder temperatures than brown and other non-native species, making them most vulnerable to stream warming caused by land-use changes, such as deforestation, and climate change. This project tracked trout habitat use and stream water temperature in three headwater streams of the Loyalsock River, Pennsylvania, to evaluate how brook and brown trout compete for thermal refugia habitats.
Funded by: Susquehanna University Freshwater Research Initiative
Principal Investigators: Valerie Ouellet and Melinda D. Daniels
Project Years: 2016, 2017
