Presenters: Tanner Van Orden
Authors: Tanner Van Orden, Cassie Peterson
Faculty Advisor: Jerry Johnson
Institution: Brigham Young University
Utah chub are native to both the Snake River and Bonneville Basin, which have experienced intense hydrological changes during the Pleistocene. Because of this, Utah chub have evolved distinct morphometric characteristics based on location. In recent times, the Utah chub has been commonly used as a fishing bait, leading to its introduction into many waters not within the Bonneville or Snake River Basins. We will be conducting a geometric morphometric analysis of multiple fish populations from the Snake River Basin, the Bonneville Basin, and two reservoir populations in the Colorado River Basin. The geometric morphometric analyses will allow us to see whether these introduced populations in the Colorado River Basin share physical characteristics with Bonneville Basin fish, Snake River Basin fish, or display traits of both. This analysis will help to develop a more robust set of morphometric landmarks that can be used to further distinguish Utah chub that have been introduced to other locations across the West.