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<br />Table 8, Major aquatic biological taxa in the Southern Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau physiographic provinces of <br />the Upper Colorado River Basin study unit <br /> <br />o <br />00 <br />o <br />l\;) <br /> <br />Southern Rocky Mountains <br /> <br />Colorado Plateau <br /> <br />Taxonomic group <br /> <br />Algae' <br /> <br />Chlorophyta (green algae) <br />Chrysophyla <br />Bacillariophyceae (diatoms) <br />ChIysophyccae(golden-brown algae) <br />Cyanophyw (blue-green algae) <br />Pynhllphyta (dinonagellates) <br /> <br />Fish2 <br /> <br />Salmonidae (salmon and trour) <br />Cyprinidae (minnows and carp) <br />Catostomidae (suck.ers) <br />Percidae (perches) <br />Cattidae (sculpins) <br />Esocidae (Northern Pike) <br /> <br />MacroinvertebratesJ <br /> <br />Chlorophyta <br />Cluysophyta <br />Bacillariophyceae <br />Chrysophyceae <br />Cyanophyta <br />Eug\enophyla (e"glenllid algae) <br /> <br />Salmonidae <br />Cyprinidae <br />Caloslomidae <br />Percidae <br />Couidae <br />1ctaluridae (catfish) <br />Cyprinodnntidae (topminnows and killifish) <br />Poeciliidae (mosquitofish) <br />Centrarchidae (bass and sunfish) <br /> <br />Ephemerop/C'r.J (mayflies) <br />Trichoptem (caddisflies) <br />Diptcra (Irue flies) <br />Coleoptera (beetles) <br />Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) <br />Plecoptera (stonefIies) <br />Amprupoda (scuds) <br />Oligochaela (womls) <br />Tricladida (flatworms) <br />Nematoda (roundworms) <br />Gastropoda (snails) <br />Hirudinea (leeches) <br /> <br />r Colorado Department of Hellrlh (1976/: Arley {198J}; NarurllJ Energy Resources Comp",ny (1987) <br />Z Everhart and Seaman (1971 J: Wnodling ( 19H5) <br />.1 Federal Waler Pollution COnlrol Adrninisua.lion (1968); Ward and others (1986): Ward 3nd Kondllllien' (1992) <br /> <br />the basin; and basses, carp, catfish, minnows, perches, <br />and suckers dominate the lower altitudes, The Upper <br />Colorado River Basin contains four fishes presently <br />listed as endangered by the U,S, Fish and Wildlife <br />Service (Behnke and Benson, 1980), The four species <br />are the Bony tail chub (Gila elegans), the Colorado <br />squawtish (Ptychocheilus IIICius), the Humpback chub <br />(Gila cypha), and the Razorback sucker (Xyrauchen <br />texanus), They are all found in the warmer waters of <br />the Colorado Plateau, <br /> <br />Macroinvel1ebrate communities vary with alti- <br />tude, amount of dissolved oxygen, substrate, water <br />temperature, and vegetation, Beetles, caddisflies, may, <br /> <br />Ephemeroptera <br />Trichopterc1 <br />Diplera <br />Coleoptera <br />OdonalD <br />Megaloplcra (aldcrfties and dobsmillies) <br />Al1lphipods <br />01 igochael8 <br />Decapoda (crdyflsh) <br />Gastropoda (snails) <br />Hirudinea (leeches) <br /> <br />flies, stoneflies, and true lIies comprise the majority of <br />the species present in the high-altitude streams, In the <br />transition from high,altitude to low-altitude streams, <br />caddisflies, mayflies, and true flies become less domi- <br />nant; stoneflies arc rare; and crayfish, dobsonflies, and <br />scuds are present, Also, the physical environmen~ <br />such as changes in water temperature and substrate of <br />the streams at lower altitude, is favorable to providing <br />habitat for additional species such as dragonflies, <br />leeches, and snails, <br /> <br />Although the Southern Rocky Mountains and <br />the Colorado Plateau contain similar biological com- <br />munities, the controlling factors that determine these <br /> <br />ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING Z7 <br />