| |
Presented at the NABS Annual meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2002
in Lentic Ecology
THE EFFECTS OF FISH INTRODUCTIONS IN COLORADO HIGH ELEVATION LAKES.
R.D. Schultheis and S.A. Wissinger. Departments of Biology and Environmental Science, Allegany College, Meadville, PA 16335
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of introduced trout on the benthic invertebrate communities in previously fishless high elevation lakes in central Colorado. The species richness, abundance, biomass, and species composition of the invertebrates in fish and fishless lakes were compared from semi-quantitative benthic and plankton samples. There were no observed differences in the species richness or invertebrate biomass between the two lake classes. There were, however, differences in the abundance and composition of the invertebrate communities between fish and fishless lakes. Large bodied species were less frequent with fish presence, and the composition of small bodied species differed as well. The relatively barren nature of the benthic landscape in these lakes may make avoidance to predation difficult for invertebrate communities. The results of this study give a good indication that fish in high elevation lakes are having some effect on the benthic invertebrate communities on Colorado's high elevation lakes, but not as significant as has been suggested in other areas of the country.
|
|
