My thesis project focuses on the study and analysis of the fluvial habitat of anadromous rainbow trout and brown trout in two river basins of Southern Patagonia, the Santa Cruz River(Santa Cruz province)and the Grande River (Tierra del Fuego province), respectively.
These two species were first introduced and established during the first half of the twentieth century. Despite the close proximity of the Santa Cruz and Gallegos river basins and the great dispersal abilities of these species, they have not invaded each other river, lending support to the idea that not all Patagonian rivers are potentially invasible.
This set of species and watersheds provides a contrasting ecological setting for comparing physical characteristics of the rivers and to identify those physical variables that might influence the process of invasion, establishment and dispersal of anadromous salmonids in rivers of southern Patagonia. This proposal attempts to recognize and analyze the river structure and functioning in order to establish the relationship between hydrological processes and the provision of critical habitat for each of the life history stages of salmonids.
To carry out this proposal environmental variables associated with the requirements of the species will be measured in each basin. I will also investigate the correspondence between the occurrence and spatial distribution of the different life stages of species and particular habitat characteristics in each river, and identify the availability of specific habitats in each river. My final goal is to build a specific demographic model to identify environmental filters operating along the ontogeny of each species in each basin.

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