The spawn made them an easy catch for predators, and cutthroat were once an important food source for grizzly bears, bald eagles, ospreys and river otters. The larger, deepwater-dwelling trout is considered the primary culprit in the collapse of the native cutthroat population, which is a keystone of the Yellowstone Lake food web by feeding water shrews, ospreys, grizzly bears and dozens of other species during their springtime spawning runs. They are an important species in Yellowstone National Park, upon which many other species depend. I. gophers can be considered both ecological engineers and keystone species. Funds collected for research at Montana State will restore the fishing to this historic ecosystem. Yellowstone cutthroat trout are considered a keystone animal in the country’s first national park, providing food for 42 birds and mammals including grizzly bears, osprey and bald eagles. Yellowstone cutthroat trout—native to Yellowstone—are a keystone species that many species of birds and mammals rely on as an energy source. Cutthroat trout, seen here spawning in the Gros Ventre River, are highly prized by anglers. Cutthroat trout live in shallow waters where they become an important food source for wildlife, including the grizzly bear. They historically ran up 60 feeder streams by the thousands each spring to spawn. pleuriticus) is a striking crimson color along the lateral line, ventral surface, and gill covers, often with equally striking shades of orange and golden yellow laid over a … It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and eastern Idaho, and is about 18 million acres. Yellowstone National Park and the Yellowstone Caldera 'hotspot' are within it. More than 40 bird and mammal species within the park feed on Yellowstone cutthroat trout, qualifying the fish as a keystone species with a disproportionately large impact on the food chain. They historically ran up 60 feeder streams by the thousands each spring to spawn. They are vital to the diet of large predators, such as the grizzly bear. Unfortunately, these fish are threatened by introduced non-native fish. Example: Yellowstone wolf reintroduction. Yellowstone cutthroat trout deserve intense focus. The iconic species of our oldest national park, the Yellowstone cutthroat draws anglers from around the world. The cutthroat trout is considered a keystone specie on which many other species depend on. They are also fun to catch. Photo by USFWS The names of many legendary fishing spots in Yellowstone National Park—Buffalo Ford, the Lamar Valley, the meadows of Slough Creek—are synonymous with big, native Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) that will rise to a … Gray wolf could be considered a species of concern, a keystone species, and an umbrella species. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth. The larger, deepwater-dwelling trout is considered the primary culprit in the collapse of the native cutthroat population, which is a keystone of the Yellowstone Lake food web by feeding water shrews, ospreys, grizzly bears and dozens of other species during their springtime spawning runs. Yellowstone cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri) are the most widespread native trout of the park and were the dominant fish species here prior to Euroamerican settlement. The species is also found in Idaho, Utah and Nevada. They are at great risk from hybridization by rainbow trout and predation by non-native lake trout. New invasive species of trout found in the Teton River ... thus making it less of a threat to the native species, the Yellowstone cutthroat trout. Yellowstone cutthroat trout are considered a keystone animal in the country's first national park, providing food for 42 birds and mammals including grizzly bears, osprey and bald eagles. Fisheries biologist likens removal of non-native lake trout from Yellowstone Lake to "weed control" Yellowstone Lake is home to the largest remaining population of Yellowstone cutthroat trout in North America.