Impact of invasive exotic animals on native reptiles and amphibians -- Trout

The introduction of game fish such as trout and bass outside their normal range has contributed to the decline of native aquatic organisms (Loope et al., 1988). Populations of native frogs in the western United States were eliminated when non-native trout from eastern and western North America and Eurasia were introduced into previously fish-free habitats (Bradford et al., 1993). Causes of the decline appear to be attributable to fish predation and habitat fragmentation due to the presence of predatory fish in portions of drainage networks (Drost and Fellers, 1996).

SOURCES

• Bradford, D. F., F. Tabatabai, and D. M. Graber. 1993. Isolation of remaining populations of the native frog, Rana muscosa, by introduced fishes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Conservation Biology 7:882-888.
• Drost, C. A. and G. M. Fellers. 1996. Collapse of a regional frog fauna in the Yosemite area of the California Sierra Nevada, USA. Conservation Biology 10:414-425.
• Loope, L. L., P. G. Sanchez, P. W. Tarr, W. L. Loope, and R. L. Anderson. 1988. Biological invasions of arid land nature reserves. Biological Conservation 44:95-118.
• Lovich, J. E. 1997. Wildlife as weeds. In, pp. 46-51. J. Lovich, J. Randall, and M. Kelly (eds.). Proceedings California Exotic Pest Plant Council Symposium '96.