Kurt
D. Fausch
Professor
Department of
Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, and
Graduate Degree Program
in Ecology
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
Office: (970) 491-6457 FAX: (970) 491-5091
Email: kurtf@warnercnr.colostate.edu
Education
B.S. Zoology, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth,
MN, 1976
M.S. Fisheries Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 1978
Ph.D. Fisheries Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
1981
Honors
First
International Fisheries Science Prize – World Council of Fisheries
Societies, World Fisheries Congress, Yokohama, Japan – October 2008
U.S. Forest Service Rise-to-the-Future
National Award for Research Achievement – D. Peterson, K. Fausch, B.
Rieman, J. Dunham, M. Young - October 2008
Professional
Affiliations
American
Fisheries Society
Introduced Species Section, Colorado-Wyoming Chapter
Ecological Society of America
Aquatic Ecology Section
American Institute of Biological Sciences, The Ichthyological Society of
Japan (Editorial Advisory Board), North American Benthological Society,
Fisheries Society of the British Isles
Research Interests
Research in my laboratory focuses on the ecology and
management of streams and stream fishes. My students and collaborators
and I are especially interested in the interaction of stream fishes with their
habitat at different spatial and temporal scales. We are involved in research
on interspecific competition among salmonids in Rocky Mountain streams;
invasions by nonnative salmonids in the western U.S. and their effects on
stream and riparian food webs; recruitment bottlenecks that hamper conservation
of native cutthroat trout in Colorado; effects of agricultural land use on
habitats that support rare fishes in Great Plains streams; and effects of
livestock grazing on terrestrial invertebrate subsidies that sustain trout in
foothills rangeland streams. Our recent work has been funded by the
National Science Foundation, Colorado Division of Wildlife, U.S. Forest
Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, Natural
Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Colorado Water
Resources Research Institute, National Park Service, U.S. Army, Japanese Society
for the Promotion of Science, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Trout
Unlimited.
Courses Taught
I teach a senior-level course in Conservation of Fish in Aquatic Ecosystems (FW400, every fall), which emphasizes critical reading, thinking, writing, and speaking skills, as well as field excursions to compare different the management of different ecosystems for fish. Every spring semester I teach Population and Community Ecology (EY600), a course in the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology curriculum. This course emphasizes current theories in population and community ecology for both animals and plants, and the observational and experimental data that support them. It includes weekly discussion of current papers in these fields.
Professional
Service
Advisory Board Ichthyological Research 1996-present
Board of Editors Ecological Applications 2000-2003
Associate Editor Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 1988-90
Fisheries Conservation Foundation (of the American Fisheries Society) Science Team Member: Connecting Headwaters with Estuaries for Salmonids
2005-present
Research by
Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Scientists
W. Carl Saunders (Ph.D.) - Effects of livestock grazing on food webs that support trout populations in rangeland streams. (funded by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Trout Unlimited).
Dr. Fabio Lepori (Postdoctoral Research Associate) – Relative effects of native and nonnative salmonids on stream and riparian food webs (funded by the National Science Foundation)
Recent Graduates
and Postdoctoral Research Scientists
Dr. Charles Gowan (Ph.D. 1995) - Trout response to habitat manipulation in streams at individual and population scales (funded by CDOW). Current position: Paul H. Wornom Professor of Biology, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA.
Ryan K. Smith (B. S. and Honors Program Scholar. 1996) - Thermal
tolerance and vegetation preference of
Dr. Kevin R. Bestgen (Ph.D.
1997) - Interacting effects of physical and biological factors on
recruitment of age-0
Theodore R. Labbe (M.S. 1997) - Dynamics of
Dr. Elizabeth M. Strange (Postdoctoral Research Assoc. 1996-97) - Measuring economic value of ecological integrity in the South Platte River by contingent valuation (NSF/EPA, with Dr. John Loomis, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and Dr. Alan Covich).
Joshua J. Latterell (B.S. 1997) - Effects of flow regime and adult
trout abundance on trout recruitment in six
Dr. Amy L. Harig (Ph.D. 2000) - Factors influencing success of native
cutthroat trout translocations (funded by CDOW, USFS, Trout Unlimited). Current
position: Research Statistician/Analyst,
Benjamin M. Kennedy (B.S. 2000) - Different life history of brook
trout populations invading mid-elevation and high-elevation cutthroat trout streams
in Colorado (senior research paper). Current position: Fisheries
Biologist, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service,
Julie A. Scheurer (M.S. 2001) - Systematics and landscape ecology of
brassy minnow (Hybognathus hankinsoni) in
Dr. Douglas P. Peterson (Ph.D. 2002) - Population responses of native
cutthroat trout to invasions by brook trout (CDOW, U.S. Dept. of Interior, U.S.
Forest Service, Trout Unlimited). Current position: Research
Scientist,
Dr. Edward D. Weber (Ph.D 2003) - Effects hatchery chinook salmon on
wild juvenile Chinook salmon in the upper Sacramento River, California (U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation). Current
position: Senior Scientist, Versar,
Inc., Columbia, MD.
Dr.
Colden V. Baxter (Postdoctoral Research Scientist 2002-2004) -
Interacting effects of riparian habitat disturbances and a stream fish invasion
on stream food webs and cross-habitat resource subsidies in northern Hokkaido,
Japan (funded by the National Science Foundation). Current
position: Assistant Professor,
W. Carl Saunders (M.S. 2006) - Effects
of livestock grazing on terrestrial invertebrate subsidies that support trout
populations in rangeland streams. (funded by the Natural Resources Conservation
Service and Trout Unlimited). Current position: Ph.D. student, Graduate
Degree Program in Ecology and Dept. of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation
Biology,
Dr. Mark A. Coleman (Ph.D. 2007) - Laboratory experiments and field
tests of effects of low water temperature on recruitment success of native
cutthroat trout (funded by the Colo. Div. of Wildlife, U.S. Dept. of Interior,
U.S. Forest Service, and Trout Unlimited).
Current position: Principal Scientist, Coleman
Ecological, Inc.,
Dr. Jeffrey A.
Falke (Ph.D. 2009) – Effects of drought and groundwater pumping for
agriculture on stream habitat connectivity and recruitment of threatened plains
fishes in the Arikaree River basin, eastern Colorado. (funded by the Colorado Division of
Wildlife). Current position: Postdoctoral
Research Scientist, NOAA Fisheries, Corvallis, OR.
Current Projects
In
addition to the research listed above, I am involved in the following
collaborative projects:
Riverwebs: Crossing boundaries to explore the hidden mysteries of stream – I am collaborating with Jeremy Monroe of Freshwaters Illustrated on a documentary video about the interconnections between forests and streams via invertebrate subsidies, and their importance for stream conservation. This documentary highlights the pioneering work of my Japanese colleague Dr. Shigeru Nakano.
Terrestrial effects
of an aquatic invader – I am collaborating with Dr. Colden Baxter (
Invasion-isolation
tradeoff for conserving native salmonids in the inland West – I am
collaborating with Drs. Bruce Rieman and Mike Young (US Forest Service), Dr. Jason
Dunham (US Geological Survey), and Dr. Doug Peterson (US Fish and Wildlife
Service) on investigating the tradeoff inherent in isolating native salmonids
in headwater streams in the inland west to prevent invasions by nonnative
salmonids.
Positions in My Lab
I am seeking a Postdoctoral
Research Scientist to study effects of climate change on native cutthroat
trout in the central Rocky Mountains.
The position is open until filled, but applicants will be reviewed in
late August 2009.
Recent Publications
Fausch, K. D. 2000. Shigeru Nakano – an uncommon Japanese fish ecologist. Environmental Biology of Fishes 59:359-364.
Labbe, T. R., and K. D. Fausch. 2000. Dynamics of intermittent stream habitat regulate persistence of a threatened fish at multiple scales. Ecological Applications 10:1774-1791.
Loomis, J., P. Kent, L. Strange, K. Fausch, and A. Covich. 2000. Measuring the total economic value of restoring ecosystem services in an impaired river basin: results from a contingent valuation survey. Ecological Economics 33:103-117.
Harig, A. L., K. D. Fausch, and M. K. Young. 2000. Factors influencing success of greenback cutthroat trout translocations. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 20:994-1004.
Fausch, K. D., Y. Taniguchi, S. Nakano, G. D. Grossman, and C. R. Townsend. 2001. Flood disturbance regimes influence rainbow trout invasion success among five Holarctic regions. Ecological Applications 11:1438-1455.
Poff, N. L., P. L. Angermeier, S. D.
Cooper, P. S. Lake, K. D. Fausch, K. O. Winemiller, L. A. K. Mertes, M. W.
Oswood, J. Reynolds, and F. J. Rahel. 2001. Fish diversity in
streams and rivers. Pages 315-350 In: F. S. Chapin III, O. E. Sala,
and E. Huber-Sannwald, editors. Global diversity in a changing
environment: scenarios for the 21st century.
Fausch, K. D. 2002.
Preface: Community ecology of salmonid fishes. Pages 3-6 in: Ecology of Streams
and Forests: Collective Papers by Shigeru Nakano.
Fausch, K. D., M. E. Power, and M.
Murakami. 2002. Linkages between stream and forest food webs:
Shigeru Nakano's legacy for ecology in
Fausch, K. D., C. E. Torgersen, C. V. Baxter, and H. W. Li. 2002. Landscapes to riverscapes: bridging the gap between research and conservation of stream fishes. BioScience 52:483-498.
Gowan, C., and K. D. Fausch. 2002. Why do foraging stream salmonids move during summer? Environmental Biology of Fishes 64:139-153.
Harig, A. L., and K. D. Fausch. 2002. Minimum habitat requirements for establishing translocated cutthroat trout populations. Ecological Applications 12:535-551.
Taniguchi, Y., K. D. Fausch, and S. Nakano. 2002. Stage-structured interactions between native and introduced species: can intraguild predation facilitate invasion by stream salmonids? Biological Invasions 4:223-233.
Kennedy, B. M., D. P. Peterson, and K.
D. Fausch. 2003. Different life histories of brook trout
populations invading mid-elevation and high-elevation cutthroat trout streams
in
Peterson, D. P., and K. D. Fausch. 2003. Dispersal of brook trout promotes invasion success and replacement of native cutthroat trout. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60:1502-1516.
Peterson, D. P., and K. D. Fausch. 2003. Testing population-level mechanisms of invasion by a mobile vertebrate: a simple conceptual framework for salmonids in streams. Biological Invasions 5:239-259.
Scheurer,
J. A., K. R. Bestgen, and K. D. Fausch. 2003. Resolving
taxonomy and historic distribution for conservation of rare great plains
fishes: Hybognathus (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in eastern
Scheurer, J. A., K. D. Fausch, and K. R. Bestgen. 2003.
Multi-scale processes regulate brassy minnow persistence in a
Weber, E. D., and K. D. Fausch. 2003. Interactions between hatchery and wild salmonids in streams: differences in biology and evidence for competition. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60:1018-1036.
Baxter, C. V., K.
D. Fausch, M. Murakami, and P. L. Chapman.
2004. Fish invasion restructures
stream and forest food webs by interrupting reciprocal prey subsidies. Ecology 85:2656-2663. Baxter
won the 2005 Hynes Award for Young Investigators from the North American
Benthological Society for this paper
Olden, J. D., N. L. Poff, M. R. Douglas, M. E. Douglas, and K. D. Fausch. 2004. Ecological and evolutionary consequences of biotic homogenization: beyond a simple focus on species diversity loss. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19:18-24.
Peterson, D. P., K. D. Fausch, and G. C. White. 2004. Population ecology of an invasion: effects of brook trout on native cutthroat trout. Ecological Applications 14:754-772.
Weber, E. D., and
K. D. Fausch. 2004. Abundance and size distribution of ocean-type
juvenile chinook salmon in the upper
Fausch, K. D.,
and M. K. Young. 2004. Interactions between forests and fish in the
Rocky Mountains of the
Weber, E. D., and K. D. Fausch. 2005.
Competition between hatchery-reared and wild juvenile Chinook salmon in
enclosures in the Sacramento River,
Baxter, C. V., K. D. Fausch, and W. C. Saunders. 2005. Tangled webs: reciprocal flows of invertebrate prey link streams and riparian zones. Freshwater Biology 50:201-220.
Cooney, S. J., A. P. Covich, P. M. Lukacs, A. L. Harig, and K. D. Fausch. 2005. Modeling global warming scenarios in greenback cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki stomias) streams: implications for species recovery. Western North American Naturalist 65:371-381.
Laeser, S. R., C.
V. Baxter, and K. D. Fausch. 2005. Riparian vegetation loss, stream
channelization, and web-weaving spiders in northern
Baxter, C. V., K. D. Fausch, M. Murakami, and P. L. Chapman. 2007. Invading rainbow trout usurp a terrestrial prey subsidy from native charr and reduce their growth and abundance. Oecologia 153:461-470.
Coleman, M. A., and K. D. Fausch. 2007. Cold summer temperature limits recruitment of age-0 cutthroat trout in high-elevation Colorado streams. Transactions American Fisheries Society 136:1231-1244.
Coleman, M. A., and K. D. Fausch. 2007. Cold summer temperature regimes cause a recruitment bottleneck in age-0 Colorado River cutthroat trout reared in laboratory streams. Transactions American Fisheries Society 136:639-654.
Fausch, K.
D. 2007.
Introduction, establishment and effects of non-native salmonids:
considering the risk of rainbow trout invasion in the United Kingdom. Journal of Fish Biology 71(Supplement D):
1-32. (Jack Jones Memorial Lecture, Fisheries Society of the British Isles
annual meeting, Exeter, U.K. July 2007)
Saunders, W. C., and K. D. Fausch. 2007. Improved grazing management increases terrestrial invertebrate inputs that feed trout in Wyoming rangeland streams. Transactions American Fisheries Society 136:1216-1230.
Dunham, J., C. Baxter, K. Fausch, W. Fredenberg, S. Kitano, I. Koizumi, K. Morita, T. Nakamura, B. Rieman, K. Savvaitova, J. Stanford, E. Taylor, S. Yamamoto. 2008. Evolution, ecology, and conservation of Dolly Varden, white-spotted char, and bull trout. Fisheries 33:537-550.
Fausch, K. D. 2008. A paradox of trout invasions in North America. Biological Invasions 10: 685-701.
Huckins, C. J., E. A. Baker, K. D. Fausch, and J. B. K. Leonard. 2008. Ecology and life history of coaster brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis and potential bottlenecks in their rehabilitation. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:1321-1342.
Peterson, D. P., K. D. Fausch, J. Watmough, and R. A. Cunjak. 2008. When eradication is not an option: modeling strategies for electrofishing suppression of nonnative brook trout to foster persistence of sympatric native cutthroat trout in small streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 28:1847-1867.
Peterson, D. P., B. E. Rieman, J. B. Dunham, K. D. Fausch, and M. K. Young. 2008. Analysis of trade-offs between threats of invasion by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and intentional isolation for native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:557-573.
Fausch, K. D., B.
E. Rieman, J. B. Dunham, M. K. Young, and D. P. Peterson. In press. The invasion
versus isolation dilemma: tradeoffs in managing native salmonids with barriers
to upstream movement. Conservation
Biology.
Falke, J. A., and K. D.
Fausch. in press. From metapopulations to metacommunities:
linking theory with empirical observations of the spatial population dynamics
of stream fishes. American Fisheries
Society Symposium XX.
Edited Volumes
Visit our Fishery Ecology Lab and
the CSU Fishery Biology
homepage, meet other faculty members in
the Fishery and Wildlife Biology
Department of the College of
Natural Resources at Colorado State
University.
Kurt Fausch / mailto:kurtf@warnercnr.colostate.edu