Variation in size-at-age between native cutthroat and introduced brown trout in allopatry and ­sympatry: implications for competitive interaction

Abstract

AB Aquatic Biology Contact the journal Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections AB 13:285-292 (2011) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00375 Variation in size-at-age between native cutthroat and introduced brown trout in allopatry and ­sympatry: implications for competitive interaction Josh E. Rasmussen1,*, Mark C. Belk1, Evelyn Habit2, Dennis K. Shiozawa1, Richard D. Hepworth1, Adam Anthony1 1Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo 84602, Utah, USA 2Aquatic Systems Unit, Environmental Science Center Eula-Chile, University of Concepcion, Chile *Email: josh.rasmussen1@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Brown trout Salmo trutta have been introduced into aquatic ecosystems throughout the western United States and have been implicated in the extirpation of many native cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii populations. We document patterns of size-at-age among multiple populations of brown trout and cutthroat trout in allopatry and sympatry. Comparisons were based on data from 48 allopatric populations (9 brown trout and 39 cutthroat trout) and 2 sympatric populations gathered from published reports and field collections. Brown trout are significantly larger than same-age cutthroat trout at all ages in both sympatry and allopatry. Size-at-age was also significantly negatively influenced with increasing latitude and elevation. The size-at-age for both species is reduced when in sympatry, but the reduction is more pronounced for brown trout. Cutthroat trout may be able to persist in the presence of brown trout in these instances because of the limited competitive ability of brown trout due to the reduced size, which may be a result of sub-optimal conditions of the habitat. The fact that brown trout are unable to exclude cutthroat trout when growth is restricted suggests that size is an important mechanism of competitive exclusion of cutthroat trout by brown trout. KEY WORDS: Otoliths · Size-at-age · Introduced species · Competitive exclusion · Sympatry Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Rasmussen JE, Belk MC, Habit E, Shiozawa DK, Hepworth RD, Anthony A (2011) Variation in size-at-age between native cutthroat and introduced brown trout in allopatry and ­sympatry: implications for competitive interaction. Aquat Biol 13:285-292. https://doi.org/10.3354/ab00375 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in AB Vol. 13, No. 3. Online publication date: November 03, 2011 Print ISSN: 1864-7782; Online ISSN: 1864-7790 Copyright © 2011 Inter-Research.