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oai:mountainscholar.org:10217/2341612025-12-30T03:11:45Zcom_10217_100532com_10217_100000com_10217_100423com_10217_100303col_10217_182111col_10217_100425

Harris, Audrey Catherine, author Kanno, Yoichiro, advisor Winkelman, Dana, advisor Oyler-McCance, Sara, committee member Morrison, Ryan, committee member 2022-01-07T11:28:34Z 2022-01-07T11:28:34Z 2021 Harris_colostate_0053N_16855.pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10217/234161 https://doi.org/10.25675/3.02309 Interbasin water transfers are becoming an increasingly common tool to satisfy municipal and agricultural water demand, but their impacts on the movement and gene flow of aquatic organisms are poorly understood. The Grand Ditch is an interbasin water transfer that diverts water from tributaries of the upper Colorado River on the west side of the Continental Divide to the upper Cache la Poudre River on the east side of the Continental Divide. I used single nucleotide polymorphisms to characterize population genetic structure in cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii) and determine if fish utilize the Grand Ditch as a movement corridor. Samples were collected from two sites on the west side and three sites on the east side of the Continental Divide. I identified two genetic clusters, but they did not align with the west and east sides of the Continental Divide. Spatial distributions of admixed individuals indicated that the Grand Ditch facilitated bidirectional fish movement across the Continental Divide, a major biogeographic barrier. Many others have demonstrated the ecological impacts of interbasin water transfers, but this study is one of the first to utilize genetics to understand how interbasin water transfers affect connectivity between previously isolated watersheds. I also discuss implications on native trout management and the need for balancing water demand and biodiversity conservation. born digital masters theses English eng Colorado State University. Libraries 2020- Copyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright. Genetic analysis reveals bidirectional fish movement across the Continental Divide via an interbasin water transfer Text Master of Science (M.S.) Masters Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). open.access