What is the name for the nests excavated by female bull trout in gravel beds during the fall spawning season?
Answer
Redds
During the fall spawning period, female bull trout actively create specialized nests in the gravel beds of shallow, cold headwater streams. These excavated structures are formally known as redds. The female carefully digs these depressions to deposit the fertilized eggs, which are then covered with gravel by both parents to protect them from predators and stream currents. The structural integrity of these gravel beds is crucial because the eggs remain buried and developing within this substrate for an extended period, highlighting why habitat alteration that affects gravel quality, such as sedimentation from logging, is so detrimental to reproductive success.

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