Brown Trout: Biology, Ecology and Management A comprehensive guide to the most current research, history, genetics and ecology of the brown trout including challenging environmental problems The brown trout is an iconic species across its natural European distribution and has been introduced throughout the World. Brown Trout offers a comprehensive review of the scientific information and current research on this major fish species. While the brown trout is the most sought species by anglers, its introduction to various waters around the world is causing serious environmental problems. At the same time, introduction of exogenous brown trout lineages threats conservation of native gene pools of populations in many regions. The authors summarize the important aspects of the brown trout’s life history and ecology and focus on the impact caused by the species. The text explores potential management strategies in order to maintain numerous damaged populations within its natural distributional range and to ameliorate its impacts in exotic environments. The authors include information on a wide-range of topics such as recent updates in population genetics, evolutionary history, reproductive traits and early ontogeny, life history plasticity in anadromous brown trout and life history of the adfluvial brown trout and much more. This vital resource: Contains the latest research on the biology and ecology of brown trout Includes information on phylogeography, genetics, population dynamics and stock management Spotlights the brown trout’s introduction to regions around the world and the serious environmental impacts Offers a comprehensive review of conservation and management techniques Written for salmonid scientists and researchers, fishery and environmental managers, and students of population genetics, ecology and population dynamics, Brown Trout explores the most recent findings on the history, ecology and sustainability of this much-researched species.

This open access book describes the serious threat of invasive species to native ecosystems. Invasive species have caused and will continue to cause enormous ecological and economic damage with ever increasing world trade. This multi-disciplinary book, written by over 100 national experts, presents the latest research on a wide range of natural science and social science fields that explore the ecology, impacts, and practical tools for management of invasive species. It covers species of all taxonomic groups from insects and pathogens, to plants, vertebrates, and aquatic organisms that impact a diversity of habitats in forests, rangelands and grasslands of the United States. It is well-illustrated, provides summaries of the most important invasive species and issues impacting all regions of the country, and includes a comprehensive primary reference list for each topic. This scientific synthesis provides the cultural, economic, scientific and social context for addressing environmental challenges posed by invasive species and will be a valuable resource for scholars, policy makers, natural resource managers and practitioners.

Humans have moved organisms around the world for centuries but it is only relatively recently that invasion ecology has grown into a mainstream research field. This book examines both the spread and impact dynamics of invasive species, placing the science of invasion biology on a new, more rigorous, theoretical footing, and proposing a concept of adaptive networks as the foundation for future research. Biological invasions are considered not as simple actions of invaders and reactions of invaded ecosystems, but as co-evolving complex adaptive systems with emergent features of network complexity and invasibility. Invasion Dynamics focuses on the ecology of invasive species and their impacts in recipient social-ecological systems. It discusses not only key advances and challenges within the traditional domain of invasion ecology, but introduces approaches, concepts, and insights from many other disciplines such as complexity science, systems science, and ecology more broadly. It will be of great value to invasion biologists analyzing spread and/or impact dynamics as well as other ecologists interested in spread processes or habitat management.

Although previous research has investigated competition between native and nonnative trout, few studies have examined effects of introduced trout on other species in coldwater stream communities. I designed a field experiment to examine interactions between native brook trout versus nonnative brown trout with native slimy sculpin to investigate whether introductions of nonnative trout affect food web relationships in small streams. I hypothesized that brown trout would compete with sculpin and reduce sculpin growth, whereas competition would not occur between brook trout and sculpin, based on the premise that brook tout and slimy sculpin have coevolved in Minnesota streams. Enclosures (1m2) were stocked with fish according to six treatments: combined-species treatments (juvenile brown trout with sculpin, juvenile brook trout with sculpin), single-species controls, and no fish. Fish were stocked at three densities to examine intraspecific versus interspecific competition. Replicates of each treatment were placed in riffles in Valley Creek, Minnesota, and six 38-day experiment trials were conducted over three summers (2002-2004). Enclosures did not reduce abundance of drifting invertebrate prey. Interactions between brown trout and sculpin led to reduced growth of both large sculpin and large brown trout in enclosures, whereas presence of brook trout was not associated with changes to sculpin growth. Presence of brown trout also led to indirect effects on food web dynamics that may have resulted in these observed changes in growth. Brown trout was the only species associated with a decrease in abundance of a benthic invertebrate taxon, suggesting that brown trout may feed in the benthos to a greater extent than brook trout. Brown trout were also associated with shifts in sculpin diets, indicating a change in sculpin feeding behavior when sculpin were with brown trout that was not evident when sculpin were alone or with brook trout. Feeding behavior and intraspecific interactions among brown trout, along with shifts in feeding behavior of sculpin when brown trout were present, likely was a mechanism underlying reduced growth of both species. My research shows that introduced brown trout have effects on the stream community in Valley Creek that are different than native brook trout.

This is the first comprehensive look at the taxonomy, life history, and conservation status of the world's trout and char. These are fascinating and beautiful fish that rate high for the angler as well as for tourist and recreational economies. Trout and char also play key roles in the ecology of many lake and river systems around the world. Trout and char are abundant in many regions, but most native species are on the decline. Some are classified as vulnerable, threatened, or endangered. Because of their widespread stocking in regions where they are not native, some trout and char also are the cause for threats to other native species. Loss of habitat, an expanding human population, and rapid climate change are challenging their future as streams warm and waters become more variable in their flows. This book examines trout and char from all these perspectives. Early chapters explore the unique diversity and life history aspects of trout and char and provide information on the taxonomy and systematics while also detailing some of unique life histories. New information is presented about species diversity and distributions by country. Summary chapters explore significant conservation and management challenges of broad interest to scientists, resource managers, anglers, and interested public. Trout and Char of the World end s with a series of essays exploring the future of trout and char over the next 50 years. Trout and Char of the World will be a primary resource for trout and char biologists, conservationists, and anglers in the many countries where trout and char are native or have been introduced, and a resource for anyone interested in learning more about the diversity and distribution of trout and char worldwide.--