Abstract
When nonnative species become established within new communities, competition may play a role in determining the persistence of ecologically similar native species. In western North America, many native cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarkii ) populations have been replaced by nonnative rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ). Superior competitive ability of rainbow trout and cutthroat–rainbow trout hybrids is often cited for this replacement; however, few studies have tested for mechanisms that might allow introduced rainbow trout to out-compete native trout species. Our previous work found individual-based differences in swimming and foraging ability among cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and their hybrids. In this study, we tested for the presence and strength of competition between cohorts of cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and their reciprocal hybrids. We assayed the growth rate of juvenile cutthroat trout in allopatry versus cutthroat trout when sympatric with rainbow trout and each hybrid cross. After controlling for size and density of trout, cutthroat trout cohorts in stream channels that contained hybrid genotypes experienced lower growth than cutthroat trout in allopatry. Averaged across heterospecific treatments, cutthroat trout growth was also lower than that of cutthroat trout cohorts in allopatry. Our study suggests that juvenile cutthroat trout experience a growth disadvantage when competing against cutthroat–rainbow hybrids.
Published Version
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