Kris Homel

Research Interest
My research interests include 1) identifying the relative contribution of genetics and environment in determining the selection of a behavioral strategy in fish, and 2) evaluating behavioral adaptation in the context of global climate change.


Current Projects
PhD Dissertation In progress. Abiotic and Biotic Factors Structuring the Seasonal Distribution Patterns of Finespotted Cutthroat Trout in the Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WY

Undisturbed river networks are characterized by numerous channel processes and structures that act as behavioral cues or habitat for organisms. In response to this environmental variability, organisms evolve adaptations that allow them to persist. When river systems are impounded and discharge is regulated, organisms may not be able to respond to the novel environmental conditions, and the range of behavioral adaptations (e.g., life-history types) expressed by organisms may be constrained.

The upper Snake River below Jackson Lake Dam, Wyoming, provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of variable annual and interannual flow regimes on a native fish assemblage. While a predominantly native fish assemblage has persisted through a century of erratic flow regulation, it remains unknown how future disturbances (e.g., invasive species or climate change) may influence the distribution, behavior, or survival of native fish. Thus, the objectives of my research are: 1) to evaluate abiotic and biotic variables that structure patterns of distribution of salmonids in the Snake River, 2) to identify the spawning patterns of finespotted cutthroat trout in the constrained environment of the Snake River, and 3) to identify the effect of disturbances (flow regime, unnatural temperature regimes, invasive species, and angling) on the distribution patterns and behavior of finespotted cutthroat trout in the Snake River.


Publications
Homel, K., and P. Budy. Accepted. Temporal and spatial variability in the migration patterns of juvenile and subadult bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Northeast Oregon. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.

Homel, K., P. Budy, T. Whitesel, M. Pfrender, L. and K. Mock. 2008. Evaluating genetic structure among resident and migratory forms of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Northeast Oregon. Ecology of Freshwater Fish. Available online: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/eff/0/0

Homel, K. 2006. Evaluating the genetic population structure and movement patterns of bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) in Northeast Oregon. Masters Thesis. Utah State University.