Fish assemblage and habitat factors associated with the distribution of Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) in Kansas streams

Abstract

Topeka shiners (Notropis topeka) were historically abundant throughout many Great Plains streams but their abundance and distribution declined and the species was listed as federally endangered in 1999. However, few studies have examined how Topeka shiner populations are linked to biotic and abiotic factors. Thus, the objectives of this study were to identify trends in Topeka shiner distribution from 1995 to 2008 and determine which fish assemblage and habitat factors were most associated with Topeka shiner distribution in Kansas streams. Fish and in-stream habitat metrics were collected from 34 sites in northeast Kansas in 1995Kansas in , 2003Kansas in , and 2008. Stepwise discriminant function analyses (DFA) were used to determine if fish assemblage percent composition and in-stream and landscape habitat factors could be used to differentiate among years and between sites with and without Topeka shiners. Higher percent composition of rosyface shiner (Notropis rubellus) was generally indicative of sites with Topeka shiners whereas higher relative abundance of central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were associated with sites without Topeka shiners. Sites with Topeka shiners also tended to have more gravel substrate and greater mean stream length, whereas sites without Topeka shiners generally had higher proportional impoundment area and proportional urban land area. These findings suggest that anthropogenic alteration of habitat in and around streams with Topeka shiners may facilitate their declines and establishment of non-native or generalist fishes. Our results may help managers identify habitats with the greatest need for protection or restoration and may help protect Topeka shiner populations from further population declines.

Towards a mechanistic understanding of fish species niche divergence along a river continuum

“…The weakest response to stream size by N. topeka, was likely because the rarity of this species in our study area (11% of sites occupied) reduced the power of analysis. Nevertheless, recently published niche models for N. topeka have documented a decrease in site occupancy with stream size (Wall et al 2004, Gerken andPaukert 2013), supporting the stream-size preference described by Cross (1967) and our hypothesis that N. topeka exhibits a complementary distribution with its congener, N. stramineus. This repeated pattern of stream-size niche complementarity between congeners shown in the current study and for other congeners in eastern North America (e.g., Braasch andSmith 1965, Taylor andLienesch 1996) suggests that a general, yet poorly understood mechanism underlies the distribution of fishes in stream networks.…”

Multiple watershed alterations influence fish community structure in Great Plains prairie streams

“…Increases among these fishes are implicated in the ongoing decline of stream fishes (Schrank et al. ; Gerken & Paukert ) and cannot be ruled out as contributing to the observed patterns in this study.…”

“…). This figure represents a hypothesis by which fish community structure is directly controlled by location (Maloney & Weller ), watershed impoundments (Mammoliti ), landscape alterations (Gerken & Paukert ) and local habitat (Gido et al. ).…”

“…Watershed impoundments are also implicated in the decline of some native species (Schrank et al. ; Gerken & Paukert ) and concurrent with the expansion of others (Gido et al. ).…”

“…). We also hypothesised that watershed impoundments would negatively correlate with richness of stream‐associated fishes because of the documented negative effects of impoundments on native stream fishes in the Great Plains (Mammoliti ; Gerken & Paukert ).…”