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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />Species Composition and Relative Abundance <br /> <br />Native species dominated the drift except in 1994 (Table 1). On the Colorado <br />River, either speckled dace (Rhinichtyhs osculus; [SD]) or roundtail chub (Gila robusta; <br />[CH]) were the most common native taxa collected. Since humpback chub (Gila cypha) <br />have not been collected upstream of Black Rocks, it was assumed that all chub collected <br />upstream ofthere were roundtail chub. On the Gunnison River roundtail chub typically <br />was the most common species sampled (Table 2). Bluehead sucker (Catostomus <br />discobolus [BH]) was fairly common in the drift for both rivers, except in 1994. <br />Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis; [FM]) was present but uncommon at most <br />stations during the study period. Colorado pikeminnow (CPM) comprised between 1.5 <br />and 3.6% of the drift at the Loma station, and from zero to 1.5% at other stations. The <br />most common non-native species was fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas; [FH]). <br />Carp (Cyprinus carpio; [CP]), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus; [GS], red shiner <br />(Cyprinella lutrensis; [RS], sand shiner (Notropis stramineous; [SS]) and white sucker <br />(Catostomus commersoni; [WS] were also collected. <br /> <br />The two lowest runoff years (1992 and 1994) were the years with the lowest <br />percentage of native species in the drift at the Loma station (Table 1) and the lowest <br />number of native larvae taken on the Colorado River stations (Appendix 2, Figures 1 and <br />5). This was mainly due to very poor chub numbers collected in 1994 compared to other <br />years. Both chub and speckled dace numbers were highest during the highest water year <br />1995 (Appendix 2, Figure 7). The pattern for trends in composition for native fish was the <br />same as for Colorado pikeminnow at the Loma station i. e. the proportion of pikeminnow <br />was lowest in 1994 and highest in 1995. <br /> <br />9 <br />