I have conducted research on the influence of stream wood and debris dams as habitat for fish (brook trout) and for invertebrates in a headwaters stream ecosystems. While wood manipulations indicated that brook trout abundance in second order streams was closely associated with this structural element, brook trout responses to wood manipulation in first and third-order streams were mixed (Warren and Kraft 2003). Invertebrate communities were largely unaffected by the wood manipulations that we imposed on the system (Warren and Kraft 2006). We suggest that these systems are not habitat limited but rather food limited (food deriving either from allochtonous or autochthonous sources). We are currently developing studies to evaluate this hypothesis.

We are also interested in the influence of salamanders on fish and invertebrates and the alternate influence of fish and invertebrates on salamanders. This work is in the idea development stage. If you are interested in collaborating on such a project, please contact me or Dr. Kraft.

Collaborators

• Dr. Clifford Kraft