Physiographic Provinces Help Us To Predict Brook Trout Populations

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are a native and keystone species in Pennsylvania whose habitat is restricted by land development, water quality, climate change, altering stream channels, and physical obstructions. These can all restrict fish movement in otherwise suitable habitat, but the effect may be different in different parts of the state. We analyzed soil, land use, and mining and oil/gas drilling record to determine linear relationships with brook trout populations. We generated watersheds in 3 different physiographic provinces within Pennsylvania and predicted variables impacting populations would vary throughout each province. The variables were analyzed using an ANOVA. We found that agriculture had a negative impact, oil/gas drilling and mining had no impact, and natural areas had a positive impact. These models can be forwarded to conservation groups to prioritize trout habitat restoration in streams that are most likely to contain brook trout