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C.G. Kruse

Publications and source records attributed to C.G. Kruse.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Proposed standard weight (W(s)) equations for interior cutthroat trout

We developed standard weight (W(s); length-specific standard weight for the species) equations for inland cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki using the regression-line-percentile technique. Length and weight data from samples of 117 cutthroat trout populations (48 lentic and 69 lotic) over the interior range of the species were used. Separate W(s) equations were developed for lentic and lotic populations, as well as an overall equation. Relative weight (W(r); individual weight/W(s)) values did not change systematically with increasing fish length. No significant differences in mean W(r) were found among subspecies of cutthroat trout. Differences between lotic and lentic populations suggested the need for two separate equations.

western United States

Geomorphic influences on the distribution of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in the Absaroka Mountains, Wyoming

Influences of large‐scale abiotic, geomorphic characteristics on distributions of Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri are poorly understood. We sampled 151 sites on 56 perennial streams in the Greybull–Wood river drainage in northwestern Wyoming to determine the effects of geomorphic variables on Yellowstone cutthroat trout distributions. Channel slope, elevation, stream size, and barriers to upstream movement significantly influenced the presence and absence of Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Wild populations of Yellowstone cutthroat trout were not found upstream of barriers to fish migration, at sites with channel slopes of 10% or greater, or at elevations above 3,182 m. Based on channel slope alone, logistic regression models correctly classified presence or absence of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in 83% of study sites. The addition of elevation and stream size in the models increased classification to 87%. Logistic models tested on an independent data set had agreement rates as high as 91 % between actual and predicted fish presence. Large‐scale geomorphic variables influence Yellowstone cutthroat trout distributions, and logistic functions can predict these distributions with a high degree of accuracy.

Wyoming

Sources of variation in counts of meristic features of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri)

We determined variability in counts of meristic features (pyloric caceae, vertebrae, pelvic fin rays, gill-rakers, basibranchial teeth, scales above the lateral line, and scales in the lateral series) of Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki bouvieri) by 3 independent readers, by the same reader on 3 different occasions, and among fish from 12 sampling sites within a 650-km2 watershed. Genetic purity of the cutthroat trout was determined by electrophoretic analysis. Significant differences in meristic counts were observed among 3 readers and among sampling sites, but not among 3 occasions by a single reader. Scale counts were within the reported range for Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but counts of other structures (pyloric caceae, gillrakers, vertebrae) were as similar to rainbow trout as to Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Meristic counts identified the fish as cutthroat trout; however, variation among readers and sampling sites as well as within the species, limits their use when identifying genetically pure cutthroat trout or assessing possible integration with rainbow trout.

Great Basin Naturalist