Population ecology of an invasion: effects of brook trout on native cutthroat trout

Invasion by nonnative brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) often results in replacement of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) in the inland western United States, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. We conducted a four-year removal experiment to test for population-level mechanisms (i.e., changes in recruitment, survival, emigration, and immigration) promoting invasion success of brook trout and causing decline of native Colorado River cutthroat trout (O. c. pleuriticus). We chose 700–1200 m segments of four small mountain streams where brook trout had recently invaded cutthroat trout populations, two each at mid elevation (2500–2700 m) and high elevation (3150–3250 m), and annually removed...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Colorado River cutthroat trout, Ecological Applications, Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus, Salvelinus, brook trout, All tags... demography, fontinalis, interspecific interactions, invasion biology, population biology, recruitment, salmonids, species conservation, survival, Fewer tags