Using nitrogen stable isotopes to detect long-distance movement in a threatened cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah)

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 672-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Sepulveda ◽  
Warren T. Colyer ◽  
Winsor H. Lowe ◽  
Mark R. Vinson
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Stable Isotopes ◽  
Life History ◽  
Headwater Streams ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotopes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii

Interior cutthroat trout occupy small fractions of their historic ranges and existing populations often are relegated to headwater habitats. Conservation requires balancing protection for isolated genetically pure populations with restoration of migratory life histories by reconnecting corridors between headwater and mainstem habitats. Identification of alternative life history strategies within a population is critical to these efforts. We tested the application of nitrogen stable isotopes to discern fluvial from resident Bonneville cutthroat trout (BCT; Oncorhynchus clarkii utah ) in a headwater stream. Fluvial BCT migrate from headwater streams with good water quality to mainstem habitats with impaired water quality. Resident BCT remain in headwater streams. We tested two predictions: (i) fluvial BCT have a higher δ15N than residents, and (ii) fluvial BCT δ15N reflects diet and δ15N enrichment characteristics of mainstem habitats. We found that fluvial δ15N was greater than resident δ15N and that δ15N was a better predictor of life history than fish size. Our data also showed that fluvial and resident BCT had high diet overlap in headwater sites and that δ15N of lower trophic levels was greater in mainstem sites than in headwater sites. We conclude that the high δ15N values of fluvial BCT were acquired in mainstem sites.

scholarly journals Estimating westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) movements in a river network using strontium isoscapes

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 906-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint C. Muhlfeld ◽  
Simon R. Thorrold ◽  
Thomas E. McMahon ◽  
Brian Marotz
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Large River ◽  
River Network ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Westslope Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Highly Correlated

We used natural variation in the strontium concentration (Sr:Ca) and isotope composition (87Sr:86Sr) of stream waters and corresponding values recorded in otoliths of westslope cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi ) to examine movements during their life history in a large river network. We found significant spatial differences in Sr:Ca and 87Sr:86Sr values (strontium isoscapes) within and among numerous spawning and rearing streams that remained relatively constant seasonally. Both Sr:Ca and 87Sr:86Sr values in the otoliths of juveniles collected from nine natal streams were highly correlated with those values in the ambient water. Strontium isoscapes measured along the axis of otolith growth revealed that almost half of the juveniles had moved at least some distance from their natal streams. Finally, otolith Sr profiles from three spawning adults confirmed homing to natal streams and use of nonoverlapping habitats over their migratory lifetimes. Our study demonstrates that otolith geochemistry records movements of cutthroat trout through Sr isoscapes and therefore provides a method that complements and extends the utility of conventional tagging techniques in understanding life history strategies and conservation needs of freshwater fishes in river networks.

Cutthroat Trout: Evolutionary Biology and Taxonomy

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
The Past ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Anthropogenic Processes ◽  
Bonneville Basin

<em>Abstract</em>.— Cutthroat Trout <em>Oncorhynchus clarkii </em>of the Yellowstone River, Snake River, and Bonneville Basin exhibit tremendous diversity in the habitats and landscapes in which they are found, diversity in the life-history strategies they employ, and diversity in the coloration and spotting patterns they display. This chapter reviews substantial research conducted over the past 35 years that has described this diversity and the historical and more recent anthropogenic processes that have shaped it and highlights key findings that should be considered during taxonomic reassessments and the writing of conservation management plans.

Spatial and temporal spawning dynamics of native westslope cutthroat trout, Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi, introduced rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and their hybrids

2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 1153-1168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint C. Muhlfeld ◽  
Thomas E. McMahon ◽  
Durae Belcer ◽  
Jeffrey L. Kershner
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
River System ◽  
Westslope Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Spring Runoff

We used radiotelemetry to assess spatial and temporal spawning distributions of native westslope cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi ; WCT), introduced rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ; RBT), and their hybrids in the upper Flathead River system, Montana (USA) and British Columbia (Canada), from 2000 to 2007. Radio-tagged trout (N = 125) moved upriver towards spawning sites as flows increased during spring runoff and spawned in 29 tributaries. WCT migrated greater distances and spawned in headwater streams during peak flows and as flows declined, whereas RBT and RBT hybrids (backcrosses to RBT) spawned earlier during increasing flows and lower in the system. WCT hybrids (backcrosses to WCT) spawned intermediately in time and space to WCT and RBT and RBT hybrids. Both hybrid groups and RBT, however, spawned over time periods that produced temporal overlap with spawning WCT in most years. Our data indicate that hybridization is spreading via long-distance movements of individuals with high amounts of RBT admixture into WCT streams and stepping-stone invasion at small scales by later generation backcrosses. This study provides evidence that hybridization increases the likelihood of reproductive overlap in time and space, promoting extinction by introgression, and that the spread of hybridization is likely to continue if hybrid source populations are not reduced or eliminated.

Ecological consequences of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and introduced rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) trout: effects on life history and habitat use

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph B. Rasmussen ◽  
Michael D. Robinson ◽  
Daniel D. Heath
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Metabolic Characteristics ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Physical Barriers ◽  
High Elevations

In the Upper Oldman River, Alberta, Canada, hybridization between introduced rainbow trout (RT; Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and native westslope cutthroat trout (WCT; Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi ) has produced a genotypic gradient with rainbow trout alleles undetectable (<1%) at high elevations and increasing in abundance downstream. Few F1 hybrids were found, and genotype frequencies suggest strong backcrossing of hybrids to pure parental populations at both ends of the gradient. The increasing prevalence of RT alleles downstream is accompanied by a life history gradient such that RT alleles were positively associated with growth rate and negatively associated with survivorship. Although physical barriers extended the distribution of pure WCT downstream, several streams held genetically pure WCT in their uppermost reaches, even when no barriers were present. For example, RT alleles were undetectable in headwaters of Dutch Creek, which had no barriers but was very cold (average summer temperature <7.3 °C). We propose that RT alleles affect the choice of habitat, as well the metabolic characteristics that determine their life history and competitive abilities. Factors such as climate change, clear-cut logging, and anthropogenic enrichment that can lead to increased temperature and (or) productivity might be expected to result in an upstream shift of RT alleles.

scholarly journals Differential response of distinct copepod life history types to spring environmental forcing in Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, Canada

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12238
Author(s):  
Desiree Tommasi ◽  
Brian P.V. Hunt ◽  
Evgeny A. Pakhomov
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Life History ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Spring Bloom ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Differential Response ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Spring Temperature ◽  
Environmental Forcing

The temporal dynamics of five copepod species common to coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were examined in relation to variability in spring temperature and phytoplankton dynamics in 2008, 2009, and 2010 in Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. The five species were differentiated by life history strategies. Acartia longiremis, Metridia pacifica, and Paraeuchaeta elongata remained active over most of the year. By contrast, the reproductive effort of Eucalanus bungii and Calanus marshallae was concentrated over the spring period and they spent most of the year in diapause as C5 copepodites. A delay in the timing of the spring bloom was associated with a shift in the phenology of all species. However, following the delay in spring bloom timing, recruitment to the G1 cohort was reduced only for E. bungii and C. marshallae. Recruitment successes of E. bungii and C. marshallae was also drastically reduced in 2010, an El Niño year, when spring temperatures were highest. Reasons for the observed differential response to spring environmental forcing, and its effect on upper trophic levels, are discussed.

scholarly journals Human pressures filter out the less resilient demographic strategies in natural populations of plants and animals worldwide

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Merrien ◽  
Katrina Joan Davis ◽  
Pol Capdevila ◽  
Moreno Di Marco ◽  
Roberto Salguero-Gomez
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Vital Rates ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Animal Populations

The exponential growth that has characterised human societies since the industrial revolution has fundamentally modified our surroundings. Examples include rapid increases in agricultural fields, now accounting for 37% of the land surface, as well as increases in urban areas, projected to triple worldwide by 2030. As such, understanding how species have adapted to and will respond to increasing human pressures is of key importance. Resilience, the ability of an ecological system to resist, recover, and even benefit from disturbances, is a key concept in this regard. Here, using a recently develop comparative demographic framework, we examine how the inherent ability of 921 natural populations of 279 plants and 45 animal species worldwide to respond to disturbances correlates with human settlement size and human activities. We develop a spatially and phylogenetically explicit model parameterised with life history traits and metrics of demographic resilience using the open-access COMPADRE and COMADRE databases, coupled with high-resolution human impact information via the Human Footprint database. We expected: (H1) populations located nearer urban areas to have a greater ability to resist, recover, or benefit from human-related disturbances compared to pristine habitats; (H2) human effects on the responses of animal populations to disturbances to depend on the ability for long-distance mobility; and (H3): human pressures to constrain the repertoire of life history strategies of animal and plant species via their effects on underlying vital rates and life history traits. We find that: (1) urban areas host a limited diversity of strategies that achieve demographic resilience with, on average, more resistant and faster-recovery populations located near human activities than in pristine habitats; (2) species with limited mobility tend to be more strongly affected by human activities than those with long-distance mobility; and (3) human pressures correlate with a limited set of vital rates and life history traits, including the ability to shrink, and reproduce earlier. Our results provide a tangible picture of how, having drastically transformed terrestrial landscapes, humans have shaped the ways animals and plants respond to disturbances.

scholarly journals Presence of Microplastics in the Food Web of the Largest High-Elevation Lake in North America

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 264
Author(s):  
Stephanie C. Driscoll ◽  
Hayley C. Glassic ◽  
Christopher S. Guy ◽  
Todd M. Koel
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarkii ◽  
Global Action ◽  
Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout

Microplastics have been documented in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems throughout the world. However, few studies have investigated microplastics in freshwater fish diets. In this study, water samples and three trophic levels of a freshwater food web were investigated for microplastic presence: amphipods (Gammarus lacustris), Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri), and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Microplastics and other anthropogenic materials were documented in water samples, amphipods, and fish, then confirmed using FTIR (Fourier-transform infrared) and Raman spectroscopy. Our findings confirmed the presence of microplastics and other anthropogenic materials in three trophic levels of a freshwater food web in a high-elevation lake in a national park, which corroborates recent studies implicating the global distribution of microplastics. This study further illustrates the need for global action regarding the appropriate manufacturing, use, and disposal of plastics to minimize the effects of plastics on the environment.

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