IMS Directory Listing

Research Interests

The goal of my research is to inform actions that support the recovery and persistence of salmonid populations along the Pacific coast. My work focuses on how modern impacts such as human disturbance and climate change influences habitat quality for salmonids and ultimately affects salmonid population dynamics. I have directed field and laboratory studies and developed predictive population models to better understand how salmonids respond to shifts in their environment. These efforts have resulted in peer-reviewed manuscripts, consistent grant funding, and the development of online interactive tools to foster stakeholder engagement. Together, this work has led to the development and use of quantitative models that allow potential restoration actions to be simulated, vetted, and eventually implemented to support salmonid recovery. 

Biography, Education and Training

Education

Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz (2014)

M.A., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz (2012)

B.S., Biology with emphasis in Ecology, Minor in East Asian Studies, Western Washington University (2002)

Selected Publications

Dudley, P.N., Hendrix, A.N., and A.-M.K. Osterback. 2022. A meta-analysis and model comparison of juvenile salmon growth across different habitat types. River Research and Applications. https://doi.org/10.7291/D1S68V

Bond, R.B., Kiernan, J.D., Osterback, A.-M.K., Kern, C.H., Hay, A.E., Meko, J.M., Daniels, M.E., and J.M. Perez. 2021. Spatiotemporal Variability in Environmental Conditions Influences the Performance and Behavior of Juvenile Steelhead in a Coastal California Lagoon. Estuaries and Coasts. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-021-01019-9

Hendrix, N., Osterback, A.-M.K., Jennings, E., Danner, E., Sridharan, V., and Lindley, S.T. 2019. Model Description for the Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon Life Cycle Model. Prepared for the 2019 Biological Opinion on Long-term Operation of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project, Appendix A. https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/22046/noaa_22046_DS2.pdf

Osterback, A.-M.K., Kern, C.H., Kanawi, E.A., Perez, J.M., and J.D. Kiernan. 2018. The effects of early sandbar formation on the abundance and ecology of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a central California coastal lagoon. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 75: 2184–2197.

Osterback, A.-M.K., D.M. Frechette, S.A. Hayes, S.A. Shaffer, and J.W. Moore. 2015. Long-term shifts in anthropogenic subsidies to gulls and implications for an imperiled fish. Biological Conservation, 191: 606–613.

Osterback, A.-M.K., D.M. Frechette, S.A. Hayes, M.H. Bond, S.A. Shaffer, and J.W. Moore. 2014. Linking individual size and wild and hatchery ancestry to survival and predation risk of threatened steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 71: 1877–1887.

Osterback, A.-M.K., D.M. Frechette, A.O. Shelton, S.A. Hayes, M.H. Bond, S.A. Shaffer, and J.W. Moore. 2013. High predation on small populations: avian predation on imperiled salmonids. Ecosphere 4: 116.

Sloat, M.R., and A.-M.K. Osterback. 2013. Maximum stream temperature and the occurrence, abundance, and behavior of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a southern California stream. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 70: 64–73.