Tracy Bowerman

Degree Seeking: PhD - Aquatic Ecology

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Phaedra Budy

Research Area: A multi-scale assessment of factors limiting bull trout survival

Bull trout are a threatened species of char native to the Northwestern United States and Canada.  My research primarly focuses on identifying factors affecting early life stage survival for bull trout, a part of the life cycle about which very little is known.  My research has several primary objectives.

1) Experimentally evaluate how environmental factors influence egg-to-fry survival.

2) Quantify juvenile survival rates and assess how survival at this life stage impacts overall population growth and persistence.

3) Identify juvenile movement patterns in order to determine dispersal rates and distances, as well as timing of movement.

4) Investigate the importance of habitat patch size and connectivity in determining species distribution at the landscape scale.

Identifying the mechanisms by which environmental variables affect early life survival and determining the importance of dispersal rates and habitat factors on bull trout distribution will help managers prioritize recovery efforts and define the necessary scale of habitat protection.

Personal Interests:  I enjoy being outdoors, whether it's on the river or in the mountains, learning new skills, and experiencing different cultures.