Trout Evolution in Lakes

Photo: USFWS Mountain-Prairie

According to a fascinating article by Erin Blakemore in The Washington Post, trout that were stocked into historically barren lakes in Wyoming rapidly evolved to take advantage of their new food sources.

The study that Blakemore discusses in her article looks at how cutthroat and golden trout evolved more gill rakers after being stocked in historically fishless lakes, when compared to captive brood stocks in hatcheries throughout Wyoming.

What this study shows us is that trout – and goldens and cutthroat are often seen as the most sensitive to environmental changes – are more adaptable creatures than we perhaps give them credit for.

You can read the entire study here.