Kurt Heim boat

Degrees Held

B.S., Biology, Messiah College, 2009
M.S., Fisheries, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2014

Degree Sought

Ph.D., Fish & Wildlife Biology, Montana State University
Expected 2019

Current Research

I study movement, ecology, and evolution of fish in the context of applied fisheries management. Currently, my research focus is to understand the mechanisms facilitating and resisting introgression between native Yellowstone cutthroat trout and introduced Rainbow trout in Yellowstone National Park. I am integrating behavioral data with molecular genetics to gain a deeper understanding of how non-native genes spread across native trout metapopulations.

Doctoral Committee Members

Dr. Thomas McMahon (Advisor), Professor, Department of Ecology, Montana State University 
Dr. Todd Koel, Senior Fisheries Biologist, Yellowstone National Park
Dr. Clint Muhlfeld, Research Ecologist. USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Dr. Steven Kalinowski, Professor, Department of Ecology, Montana State University 

Google Scholar Profile

Curriculum vitae

Peer-Reviewed Publications

7. (In review) Arp, C. D, M. S. Whitman, B. M. Jones, D. A. Nigro, V. A. Alexeev, A. Gädeke, S. Fritz, R. Daanen, A. K. Liljedahl, F. J. Adams, B. V. Gaglioti, G. Grosse, K. C. Heim, J. R. Beaver, L. Cai, M. Engram, and H. R. Uher-Koch. xxxx. Ice roads through lake-rich arctic watersheds: Integrating climate uncertainty and freshwater habitat responses into adaptive management.

6. Heim, K. C., M. E. Steeves, T. E. McMahon, B. D. Ertel, and T. M. Koel. 2018. Quantifying uncertainty in aquatic telemetry: Using received signal strength to estimate telemetry error. North American Journal of Fisheries Management.

5. Heim, K. C., C. D. Arp, M. S. Whitman, M. S. Wipfli. 2018.The complementary role of lentic and lotic habitats for Arctic grayling in a complex stream-lake network in Arctic Alaska. Ecology of Freshwater Fish.

4. Heim, K. C., M. S. Whitman, and L. L. Moulton. 2016. Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) in saltwater: a response to Blair et al. (2016). Conservation Physiology 4, cow055.

3. Heim, K. C., M. S. Wipfli, M. S. Whitman, and A. C. Seitz. 2016. Body size and condition influence migration timing of juvenile Arctic grayling. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 25:156-166.

2. Heim, K. C., M. S. Wipfli, M. S. Whitman, C. D. Arp, J. Adams, J. Falke. 2016. Seasonal cues of Arctic Grayling movement in a small Arctic stream: The importance of surface water connectivity. Environmental Biology of Fishes 99:49-65.   

1. Arp, C. D., M. S. Whitman, B. Jones, G. Grosse, B. Gaglioti, and K. C. Heim. 2015. Distribution and biophysical processes of beaded streams in Arctic permafrost landscapes. Biogeosciences 12:29-47.

Other Publications

3. Heim, K. C. 2017. Fish movement under the midnight sun: Behavioral adaptations to a harsh aquatic environment. Fisheries 43:260-267.

2. Ertel, B. D, K. C. Heim, J. L. Arnold, C. R. Detjens, T. M. Koel. 2017. Preservation of native cutthroat trout in Northern Yellowstone. Yellowstone Science 25:35-41.

1. Heim, K. C. 2015. Resident freshwater fish ecology in Arctic Alaska: Understanding beaded streams. ONCORHYNCHUS (newsletter of the Alaska Chapter, American Fisheries Society) XXXV, Spring 2015.