An Electrophoretic Analysis of Genetic Differentiation of Cutthroat Trout Populations in the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks

Abstract

Several subspecies of cutthroat trout, Salmo clarki, including the Snake River, Yellowstone, and Colorado cutthroat, are native to Wyoming. Because these fish have evolved in independent drainages their morphological and ecological characteristics have diverged significantly. Based upon these kinds of differences Behnke (1971, 1972) has identified two subspecies of cutthroat trout in the Snake River drainage in Wyoming. Recent fish taxonomic studies, however, also employ electrophoretic techniques to measure the extent of genetic divergence between suspected species or subspecies populations. The amount and kind of genetic variability and the extent of genetic divergence between Wyoming's cutthroat trout populations is unknown.