Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [154]-165).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wyoming, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jun 1, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-116).

Thesis (M.S.)--Montana State University--Bozeman, 2007. / Typescript. Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Thomas E. McMahon. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-63).

An investigation of the genetic and meristic patterns of coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki clarki) in two coastal basins, one in Oregon and one in Alaska, revealed varying degrees of differences among populations within each site. Coastal cutthroat trout collected from seven sites above and below barriers from Elk River, Oregon were characterized by significant genetic structuring (Fst=0.095) based on allozymes and significant differences among nine meristic characters. This may reflect the geologic history and local conditions of the Elk River Basin. Despite this divergence, Elk River populations were relatively similar to each other (Nei's genetic identity> 0.0987), suggesting that these populations share common ancestry. Fewer differences were detected among the coastal cutthroat trout from four sites below and above a barrier within Vixen Inlet, Alaska. Genetic structuring among populations was low (Fst=0.016) and significant differences were detected in only two of nine meristic characters. This may reflect the recent glacial history of southeast Alaska. In both sites, there was concordance between allozyme data and meristic data. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (M.S.)--Montana State University, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Feb. 11, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-60).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-124).

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-58). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Accidental conservation isolation characterizes a situation when a barrier created for a non-conservation purpose happens to fragment a population that now holds conservation value. This study established baseline genetic structure for the isolated populations of Colorado River cutthroat trout in the North Fork Little Snake River drainage, Wyoming. In many cases of accidental isolation, the populations above the barriers have limited habitat and small population sizes that make them vulnerable to extinction and may hold evolutionary value to the species as a whole. All the isolated populations in the drainage currently have high genetic differentiation among tributaries, low genetic diversity within each tributary, a suggestion of isolation by distance, and effective population sizes that are below the recommendation for long- term persistence. This structure represents natural and anthropogenic influences, but the presence of the human-constructed barriers in the headwater tributaries puts the larger core conservation group at risk into the future. Although the genetic diversities within the populations are low, the high genetic differentiations among populations suggest that each population may have its own unique contribution to the evolutionary value to the drainage as a whole and each is important to conserve into the future.

Microhabitat use by cutthroat trout and macrohabitat use by both cutthroat and rainbow trout were studied i n the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam during the winters of 1988 and 1989. Microhabitat parameters used by cutthroat trout, such as focal velocity, depth, and fish elevation, differed significantly in eddies, runs, and riffles. Mean focal velocities in runs were 0.79 body lengths/seconds (bl/s), in riffles 0.66 bl/s, and in eddies 0.24 bl/s. Cutthroat trout size also varied significantly with macrohabitat; larger fish were found in riffles. Macrohabitat use by cutthroat trout and rainbow trout differed significantly among species, macrohabitat types, and months. Both rainbow trout and cutthroat trout macrohabitat use shifted from lower velocity habitats during winter to faster velocity habitats in summer. Cutthroat trout and rainbow trout used macrohabitats at seasonally differing rates. Riffles were never selected in proportion to their abundance, especially during high winter discharges. Cutthroat trout implanted with radiotransmitters exhibited little movement during diel monitoring and did not change their occupation of macrohabitats.

Graduation date: 2004