InSTREAM 7 user manual: model description, software guide, and application guide

Abstract

InSTREAM is a simulation model designed to support river management decisions. InSTREAM 7 is a major revision of the individual-based stream trout model we developed and have used for over 20 years. This user manual provides background information on inSTREAM and its purposes, a complete description of the model formulation, a software guide, and guidance on applying the model. InSTREAM is designed to predict how stream trout populations respond to habitat alteration including altered flow, temperature, and turbidity regimes and changes in channel morphology. The model represents individual trout, with population responses emerging from how individuals are affected by their habitat and by each other (especially, via competition for food). Key individual behaviors include habitat and activity selection (deciding whether to feed or hide, and selecting the best available location), feeding and growth, mortality, and spawning. Trout growth depends on prey availability and hydraulic conditions. Mortality risks from terrestrial predators, piscivorous fish, and extreme conditions are functions of habitat and trout variables. Version 7 of inSTREAM differs from previous versions in explicitly representing the daily light cycle in four phases (dawn, day, dusk, night) and how light affects feeding, predation risk, and individual behavior. It also differs from previous versions by representing activity selection as an additional adaptive behavior. InSTREAM 7 is newly implemented in the NetLogo software platform, which makes installation, use, and customization of the model much easier than previous versions.

Citation

Railsback, Steven F.; Harvey, Bret C.; Ayllón, Daniel. 2023. InSTREAM 7 user manual: model description, software guide, and application guide. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-276. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station. 306 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/PSW-GTR-276.