SE CASC Science Seminar – Climate Change Impacts on Brook Trout Populations in the Southeastern USA

Seminar Title: Climate Change Impacts on Brook Trout Populations in the Southeastern USA

Speaker: Dr. Yoichiro Kanno (Colorado State University)

Learn more and register here.

Overview
Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) is the only native salmonid in the southeastern USA and is an iconic species that supports recreational fishing and cultural heritage. However, human activities, such as habitat degradation and introduction of non-native species, have led to extensive declines of brook trout populations in the region, and their remaining populations occur in small, isolated headwater habitats in the southern Appalachian Mountains region. Climate change is projected to affect this coldwater species further. Although threats to brook trout remain, our research shows that their populations are not equally vulnerable to climate change because warming rates and resiliency to floods and droughts differ spatially.

In this seminar, Dr. Kanno will present analysis and synthesis of brook trout population data from Georgia to Maryland and discuss why climate variation affects local trout populations differently and identify key environmental factors that make trout populations more resilient to climate change. This research informs landscape prioritization of habitat protection and restoration and highlights the importance of identifying climate refugia for sustaining brook trout and other cold-adapted species in the southeastern USA.