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DISCUSSION <br />The bottom fauna study was initiated to classify and measure the <br />relative abundance, succession and distribution of bottom organisms in <br />the new reservoir. During the first years of the study, operational <br />problems led to inadequate sampling (1964 and 1965). A full scale <br />sampling program was conducted in 1966. After this time, the study <br />was discontinued because project personnel felt that bottom <br />organisms contributed only slightly to the food web of the reservoir <br />and because of the limited sampling time available. <br />The 1964 and 1965 data show only the species composition of the <br />bottom fauna. The sampling during these two years was so limited <br />that no conclusive results were obtained. <br />Cowell and Hudson (1967) report that wave action limits the number <br />of invetebrates present in shallow water. Wave action probably was <br />the cause for the low numbers of organisms in the samples from the one- <br />to-two-foot depth range throughout the reservoir. Organisms were <br />numerous in the samples taken from the canyon area at this depth. The <br />canyon area is characterized by deep water and sheer rock walls. The <br />limited littoral area in the canyon is generally protected from wind <br />action and consequently may support more organisms per square foot <br />than the more extensive littoral habitat in the open and inflow areas. <br />Stomach analysis data collected in 1966 show that bottom organisms <br />make the greatest contribution to the diet of rainbow trout in the <br />canyon area. Diptera were the most important in this area making up <br />over 16 percent by number of food items in the diet. Mayflies were <br />the most numerous bottom organism in the diet of rainbow in the open <br />area. The overall contribution of bottom organisms to the diet of <br />rainbow trout in the inflow area was very small during the 1966 <br />sampling (Table 7). <br />Diptera were the only bottom organism that contributed significantly <br />to the food of the rainbow trout in the reservoir (Wiley and Varley, <br />1978.) <br />45