Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41070939›Full record

ArticleEcological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America2025

Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator.

Madaline M Cochrane, Timothy J Cline, Travis S Schmidt, James L Dunnigan, Will G Warnock, Clint C Muhlfeld

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Non-native prey availability and over-compensatory density dependence drive population dynamics of a native fish predator.Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Madaline M CochraneDepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1080-8495
Timothy J ClineDepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA.
Travis S SchmidtU.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center, Helena, Montana, USA.
James L DunniganMontana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Libby, Montana, USA.
Will G WarnockBritish Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada.
Clint C MuhlfeldU.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Glacier National Park, West Glacier, Montana, USA.

Funding

Bonneville Power AdministrationU.S. Geological SurveyUSGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science CenterUSGS Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Understanding the factors that regulate population dynamics is crucial for conserving imperiled species. Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), a piscivorous salmonid and one of North America's most threatened cold-water species, has declined significantly due to habitat loss, overfishing, invasive species, and climate change. While recovery efforts have primarily targeted these threats, the role of prey availability in influencing bull trout population dynamics under multiple stressors remains poorly understood. Using a stage-based integrated population model, we quantified the effects of non-native prey availability (kokanee; Oncorhynchus nerka), angling pressure, climatic variation, and density-dependent processes on bull trout population dynamics in Lake Koocanusa, a transboundary reservoir and river system (United States and Canada), over a 40-year period (1980-2023). Our results show that bull trout populations are regulated by density-dependent processes, including over-compensation in sub-adult recruitment and reduced adult survival at high densities. Increased kokanee biomass and restricted harvest significantly enhanced bull trout survival and abundance, whereas reduced water availability had a limited negative effect on sub-adult production. Model simulations indicate that as kokanee biomass availability increases, the number of bull trout that can be sustainably harvested also increases. In fact, a modest annual fishery (300 individuals) can be sustained, especially under moderate to high kokanee biomass conditions. These results underscore the importance of prey availability, including non-native species, in supporting bull trout populations. Effective management of threatened apex fish predators like bull trout requires addressing the complex interplay between environmental threats, prey dynamics, and density-dependent mechanisms across all life stages.

Indexed as

Food ChainIntroduced SpeciesOncorhynchusPredatory BehaviorTroutAnimalsModels, BiologicalPopulation DensityPopulation Dynamicsbull troutdroughtintegrated population modelkokaneepopulation ecologyRicker stock‐recruitmentsustainable harvest

Identifiers

PMID41070939
PMCPMC12513133

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.