Shifting habitat mosaics and fish production across river basins

Abstract

A portfolio of habitats To conserve species, we must conserve their habitat. This concept is well known, but the reality is much more complex than simply conserving a particular area. Habitats are dynamic and vary across both space and time. Such variation can help to facilitate long-term persistence of species by allowing local movement in search of the best conditions. Brennan et al. clearly demonstrate the benefit of the habitat mosaic to Pacific salmon by characterizing how both climate and population productivity vary over time and space in an Alaskan river system. Science , this issue p. 783