The importance of warm habitat to the growth regime of cold-water fishes

Jonathan B. Armstrong (), Aimee H. Fullerton, Chris E. Jordan, Joseph L. Ebersole, J. Ryan Bellmore, Ivan Arismendi, Brooke E. Penaluna and Gordon H. Reeves
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Jonathan B. Armstrong: Oregon State University
Aimee H. Fullerton: NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Chris E. Jordan: NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center
Joseph L. Ebersole: US Environmental Protection Agency
J. Ryan Bellmore: Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service
Ivan Arismendi: Oregon State University
Brooke E. Penaluna: Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service
Gordon H. Reeves: Pacific Northwest Research Station, US Forest Service

Nature Climate Change, 2021, vol. 11, issue 4, 354-361

Abstract: Abstract A common goal of biological adaptation planning is to identify and prioritize locations that remain suitably cool during the summer. This implicitly devalues areas that are ephemerally warm, even if they are suitable most of the year for mobile animals. Here we develop an alternative conceptual framework, the growth regime, which considers seasonal and landscape variation in physiological performance, focusing on riverine fish. Using temperature models for 14 river basins, we show that growth opportunities propagate up and down river networks on a seasonal basis, and that downstream habitats that are suboptimally warm in summer may actually provide the majority of growth potential expressed annually. We demonstrate with an agent-based simulation that the shoulder-season use of warmer downstream habitats can fuel annual fish production. Our work reveals a synergy between cold and warm habitats that could be fundamental to support cold-water fisheries, and highlights the risk in conservation strategies that underappreciate warm habitats.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41558-021-00994-y

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