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The Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka), a federally endangered species of minnow endemic to the Great Plains region of the central United States, has experienced widespread population declines resulting from loss of habitat. N. topeka habitat in Iowa, most notably oxbow wetlands, was mostly eliminated from the landscape during European settlement and agriculturalization of the region. Over the last two decades, restoration of oxbow habitats in Iowa has been increasing. Restorations provide critical habitat for N. topeka and regenerate a variety of ecosystem services that benefit many species of flora and fauna. There are signs that restoration of oxbow ecosystems is generating positive impacts on N. topeka recovery. Recent studies revealed that N. topeka populations are recovering within a few Iowa watersheds. In the investigation described here, we report the 2020 discovery of two N. topeka specimens in different restored oxbows within the White Fox Creek HUC10 of north central Iowa. Prior to these collections, the species had been undetected within this basin for 36 years. (It is possible that N. topeka persisted within the basin but remained undetected during sampling efforts.) Multiple oxbows have been restored within the White Fox Creek basin in recent years, and significant source populations of N. topeka can be found in nearby watersheds. These collections suggest that as oxbow restorations continue and land stewardship practices improve, N. topeka populations might recover and become reestablished within the historical range.

Anthropogenic development of floodplains and alteration to natural hydrological regimes have resulted in extensive loss of off-channel habitat. Interest has grown in restoring these habitats as an effective conservation strategy for numerous aquatic species. This study developed a process to reproducibly identify areas of former stream meanders to assist future off-channel restoration site selections. Three watersheds in Iowa and Minnesota where off-channel restorations are currently being conducted to aid the conservation of the Topeka Shiner (Notropis topeka) were selected as the study area. Floodplain depressions were identified with LiDAR-derived digital elevation models, and their morphologic and topographic characteristics were described. Classification tree models were developed to distinguish relic streams and oxbows from other landscape features. All models demonstrated a strong ability to distinguish between target and non-target features with area under the receiver operator curve (AUC) values ≥ 0.82 and correct classification rates ≥ 0.88. Solidity, concavity, and mean height above channel metrics were among the first splits in all trees. To compensate for the noise associated with the final model designation, features were ranked by their conditional probability. The results of this study will provide conservation managers with an improved process to identify candidate restoration sites.

The distribution of Topeka shiner Notropis topeka has declined across its historic range and was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 1998. In Iowa, the habitat associations of this imperiled fish are not well understood. Our goals were to understand the current distribution and identify abiotic and biotic factors associated with the occurrence of Topeka shiners in stream and off-channel habitats of west-central Iowa. Fish assemblages and habitat characteristics were sampled in 67 stream and 27 off-channel sites during 2010 – 2011. Topeka shiners were found in 52% off-channel sites, but only 9% of stream sites, supporting the hypothesis that off-channel habitats are an important component of their life history. When compared to prior distributions, our results indicated a recent reduction in the distribution of Topeka shiners in Iowa. Fish assemblages in stream sites Corresponding author: bbakevich@gmail.com Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University U.S. Geological Survey, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho 4

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is a federally endangered fish species that is estimated to occupy only 20% of its historic range. In Iowa Topeka shiners have been in decline for decades. Our goal was to determine the present distribution of Topeka shiners in the west-central portion of their range in Iowa and to characterize the extent of its decline. We compared the current distribution to distributions generated from earlier collections. We found Topeka shiners in six of 22 watersheds where they occurred historically. Status of Topeka shiners was judged to be stable in 27% of the watersheds, at risk in 45% of the watersheds, and possibly extirpated in 27% of the watersheds. None were classified as increasing. Based on comparison of the historical distribution with more recent ones, Topeka shiners in west-central Iowa showed a 27% decline a decade ago and currently exhibits a 73% decline in their distribution. The collective evidence from four of five other states in the species’ range reveal...

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka is native to Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota and has been federally listed as endangered since 1998. Our goals were to determine the present distribution and qualitative status of Topeka shiners throughout its current range in Iowa and characterize the extent of decline in relation to its historic distribution. We compared the current (2016–2017) distribution to distributions portrayed in three earlier time periods. In 2016–2017 Topeka shiners were found in 12 of 20 HUC10 watersheds where they occurred historically. Their status was classified as stable in 21% of the HUC10 watersheds, possibly stable in 25%, possibly recovering in 8%, at risk in 33%, and possibly extirpated in 13% of the watersheds. The increasing trend in percent decline evident in earlier time periods reversed, going from 68% in 2010–11 to 40% in the most recent surveys. Following decades of decline, the status of Topeka shiners in Iowa appears to be improving. One potential reason for the reversal in the distributional decline of Topeka shiners in Iowa is the increasing number of oxbow restorations. Until a standardized monitoring program is established for Iowa, periodic status assessments such as this will be necessary to chronicle progress toward conserving this endangered fish species.

Predicting species distributions has important implications for the conservation and management of freshwater fishes, particularly in areas such as the Great Plains, USA where human impacts have resulted in extirpations and declines for numerous native species. There are a number of statistical approaches for constructing distributional models; the accuracy of each is likely dependent on the nature of the environmental gradients, species responses to those gradients and the spatial extent of the modelling. Thus, it is important to compare multiple approaches across species and habitats to identify the most effective modelling approach. Using geographical information system (GIS) derived characteristics of stream segments as predictors, we tested the model performance of three methodologies - linear discriminant function analysis, classification trees and artificial neural networks (ANN) - for predicting the occurrence of 38 fish species in a Great Plains river basin. Results showed that all approaches predicted species occurrences with relatively high success. ANN generally were the best models, in that they generated the most significant models (35 of 38 species) and most accurately predicted species presence for the greatest number of species (average correct classification ¼ 81.1%). The importance of GIS variables for predicting stream fish occurrences varied among species and modelling techniques, but were generally strong predictors of species distributions, including the federally endangered Topeka shiner Notropis topeka. In summary, predictive models should be viewed as both competitive and complementary methodologies for establishing quantitative linkages between fish species and their environment. Our study demonstrates the potential utility of such an approach for guiding conservation efforts for stream fishes of the Great Plains, USA.

Decision support tools that predict fish distribution over broad spatial scales are needed to assist in planning watershed management and endangered species recovery. We developed a geographical information system model with multivariate logistic regression to rank valley segments for probable occurrence of the endangered Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) using stream condition variables (stream size, groundwater potential, channel slope, streamflow, network position) and land-cover variables (percent pasture, percent trees) in streams characteristic of the North American Great Plains. The stream condition and land-cover models correctly classified 89% and 68% of outcomes (i.e., presence or absence), respectively. Field tests of maps of predicted species distribution resulted in more species occurrences than expected in valley segments classified as high potential for presence and less than expected in low-potential valley segments. Gaps between high-priority segments and protected land parcels were found in all basins. In 37 basins with Topeka shiners, protected land coverage was

The Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) is a small native cyprinid species that has declined throughout its range in the Central Great Plains Region of the United States. Declines of the species have been associated with numerous factors including water quality, physical habitat alteration and predation. The N. topeka occurs in the Moniteau Creek Watershed of Cooper and Moniteau Counties of Central Missouri. We studied the Moniteau Creek population of N. topeka over a 1 y period to identify the primary physical, chemical and biological factors associated with population distributions. Fish community composition, water quality data and physical habitat variables were collected at 20 sites distributed across 8 sub-watersheds. Notropis topeka were collected at 8 of the 20 locations; 3 of these sites represent a recent within-watershed range expansion. Notropis topeka were confined to upper reaches of the sub-watersheds in areas typified by relatively high gradient and coarse substrate conditions. Water ...

The life history and feeding habits of the Topeka shiner, Notropis topeka (Gilbert), were studied in the headwaters of the South Fork Cottonwood River, Butler County, Kansas, and the West Branch of Mill Creek, Wabaunsee County, Kansas, from July 1979 through June 1981. A total of 1002 specimens was examined. The habitat of Topeka shiners in the South Fork Cottonwood River consisted of the uppermost stream sections that maintained permanent pools because of the contribution of small springs and subterranean flow. Substrates varied from gravel to rubble, usually with a thin silt covering. In midsummer and fall, surface water was restricted to the larger and deeper pools in the study area. Heavy mortality in the fish populations was evident. Adult Topeka shiners occupied the lower half of the water column in pools, whereas young-of-the-year fish inhabited shallow pool margins until the end of their first summer. Nineteen percent of age-1 males were sexually mature (in second summer of life); 80% of ...

The Topeka shiner Notropis topeka has declined in abundance throughout its historical range in the central U.S. As a result, this minnow was listed as federally endangered in 1999. The objective of our study was to quantitatively assess instream physical, chemical, and biological parameters and landscape-level factors influencing the distribution (i.e., extant or extirpated) of Topeka shiners. We sampled 26 streams in the Flint Hills region of Kansas: 12 sites where Topeka shiners are extant; and 14 sites where they are extirpated. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to test whether variables were different between extant and extirpated sites. Mean catch per effort of largemouth bass in stream pools was higher at extirpated sites, and species diversity by trophic guild and richness in stream pools were higher at extirpated sites. Stepwise logistic regression was used to develop a model to predict whether Topeka shiners were extant or extirpated. Number of small impoundments per watershed a...

Livestock watering holes (i.e., dugouts) are typically constructed in floodplains, yet the influence of dugouts on native prairie fishes is unknown. Such information is necessary for the effective management of native fishes, especially species of concern such as the endangered Topeka shiner ( Notropis topeka ). The goal of our study was to suggest technical guidelines for constructing floodplain wetlands that are compatible with stream fish resources. Specific objectives were to: determine the flood frequencies of the connection between streams and dugouts; determine fish community characteristics in floodplain dugouts; and, associate dugout characteristics with fish assemblages. A total of 20 dugouts within Six Mile Creek watershed, South Dakota, were surveyed seasonally (excluding winter) from fall of 2003 to fall of 2004. Dugouts were categorized according to their lateral floodplain placement (connectivity with the stream and flood frequency of the stream-dugout connection) and longitudinal placement across the watershed. Fishes were sampled in dugouts and adjacent stream reaches with seines and traps. The 21 species making up the stream and dugout fish assemblages were similar. Fish inhabited 65% of the dugouts; 30% contained Topeka shiners. Most fish inhabitance, and all Topeka shiner occurrences, were in dugouts that were headwater sites and were either directly connected to the stream or disconnected and frequently flooded (average 1 in 2 year event). Two dugouts in this latter category contained the most abundant, self-sustaining Topeka shiner populations. Constructing dugouts separate from the stream within frequently inundated zones can provide off-channel habitat for fishes.

The distribution of the Topeka shiner, Notropis topeka, in Kansas centers on the Flint Hills tributaries of the Kansas and Arkansas rivers. A recent collection of a single adult Topeka shiner outside this region in Buck Creek, Jefferson County, Kansas is documented. The Topeka shiner, Notropis topeka (Gilbert), is a threatened fish species in Kansas (Platt et al., 1974; Hlavachick, 1978) and has in most recent times been associated mainly with small streams draining Flint Hills' uplands in the Kansas and Arkansas river systems (Minckley and Cross, 1959; Metcalf, 1966; Cross, 1967; Cross and Collins, 1975). Considering the decimation of N. topeka populations in most Kansas streams, the possibility that other populations exist outside the Flint Hills region is noteworthy, and may be important in the continued survival of this species in Kansas. On 10 March 1980 a single adult Notropis topeka (KU 18601) was obtained by the authors and Scott W. Campbell using a 15 x 4 foot nylon mesh seine from Buck Creek in Jefferson County, Kansas. This capture of N. topeka is the first record of this species in Jefferson County, and the first such capture in the Kansas River system north of the Kansas River and east of the Blue River drainage. Buck Creek is 11-12 km in length and is a direct tributary of the Kansas River which flows through the Osage Cuesta physiographic region of northeastern Kansas (Metcalf, 1966). The site of capture (Sec. 27, T.11S, R.19E) was approximately 2.5 km upstream from the confluence of Buck Creek with the Kansas River, and consisted of a straight portion of the channel with slow current over a clay and gravel substrate with stream depths from 0.5 to 1.0 m. Other species of fishes collected at this locality included: Cyprinus carpio, Semotilus atromaculatus, Phenacobius mirabilis, Notropis umbratilis, N. lutrensis, N. stramineus, Pimephales notatus, Campostoma anomalum, This content downloaded from 157.55.39.102 on Fri, 23 Dec 2016 04:52:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 58 TRANSACTIONS OF THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Catostomus commersoni, Ictalurus melas, Noturus exilis, Lepomis cyanellus, and Etheostoma spectabile. Further collections are necessary in order to ascertain whether the specimen was a stray that made its way into Buck Creek from one of the Flint Hills streams via the Kansas River, or a member of a resident population within the stream. In our opinion, the probability of this individual being a stray from a Flint Hills stream is small. N. exilis is another fish species that is considered very uncommon north of the Kansas River and is a typical resident of streams in the Kansas River system portion of the Flint Hills region (Metcalf, 1966; Cross, 1967). One specimen (KU 18725) was taken on 10 March 1980 at the same locality as the Notropis topeka was captured (Sec. 27, T.1 IS, R.19E) and numerous individuals (KU 18676) were taken on 20 September 1980 (Sec. 3, T. 11S, R.19E).

A new distributional record in Geary County for the slender madtom (Noturus exilis) was documented by Layher and Wood (1986). That record consisted of one specimen (KU 21086) captured on 18 May 1984 from East Branch Humboldt Creek. A second specimen (KU 21424) was taken on 22 April 1986 by Layher and Wood from Davis Creek, Geary County, E 1/2 Sec. 2, T13S, R6E. This collection contained five other species: central stoneroller, Campostoma anomalum, (1 specimen; KU 21417); common shiner, Notropis cornutus (1 specimen; KU 21418); southern redbelly dace, Phoxinus erythrogaster (3 specimens; KU 21422); creek chub, Semotilus atromaculatus (1 specimen; KU 21423); and orangethroat darter, Etheostoma spectabile (1 specimen; KU 21425). The collection from Davis Creek also included three specimens of the rosyface shiner (Notropis rubellus) (KU 21420), and one hybrid, N. rubellus x N. cornutus (KU 21419). These represent the first record of the rosyface shiner in Geary County. Another collection on 22 April 1986, from Dry Creek in Sec. 17, T16S, R7E, Geary County, also contained rosyface shiners (2 specimens; KU 21413). Other fishes in that collection were the topeka shiner, Notropis topeka (1 specimen; KU 21414); redfin shiner, Notropis umbratilis (1 specimen; KU 21415); and orangethroat darter (1 specimen; KU 21416). Collections from numerous other streams in Geary County during the same week did not include either the rosyface shiner or the slender madtom. Previous stream surveys by the Kansas Fish and Game Commission, chiefly in the 1970's, provided no evidence of the occurrence of either species in Geary County (Layher and Brunson, 1986). The rosyface shiner and slender madtom normally inhabit permanently flowing, clear, upland streams with alternating pools and limestone riffles. In the Kansas River basin, both species are most abundant in Flint Hills streams, especially those of the Mill Creek drainage in Wabaunsee County (Metcalf, 1965; Cross, 1967). The Geary County sites are farther west in the Kansas River basin than any localities previously known for either species, but are within the Flint Hills upland; populations of both may long have

Notropis topeka (Gilbert) occurs from "Minnesota and South Dakota south through Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri" (Moore, 1957:134). Compared with distributions of other plains fishes, this range is small. No other fish has a similar area of distribution. In Kansas, N. topeka has been reported from scattered localities that indicate its presence throughout the northern part of the state (Kansas River Basin) and in part of the Arkansas River Basin in south-central Kansas (Fig. 1). Approximately 37 localities are represented, 10 of which are west of 970 longitude. Nine of the 10 western records were obtained between 1882 and 1887 when the first general surveys of fishes were made in Kansas (Gilbert, 1885:98, 1886:210, 1889:39; Cragin, 1885:108; Evermann and Fordice, 1886: 185; Hay, 1888:245, 248, 251, 252 [as Notropis aeneolus Hay], 246). The tenth record is a single specimen (KU 3108) obtained by A. B. Leonard and A. B. Williams from Cherry Creek, Cheyenne County, in April, 1947. Other recent collections west of 970 longitude have not included Topeka shiners. Breukelman (1940a) failed to find them in extensive surveys of streams in northwestern Kansas, and in 1958, Cross and B. C. Nelson did not find N. topeka at any of 30 western localities, including all those cited by Gilbert, Cragin, and Hay. In the Kansas River Basin east of 970 longitude, N. topeka was reported from three localities between 1882 and 1887 (Gilbert, 1884 [types from Shunganunga Creek, Shawnee County, described as Cliola (Hybopsis) topeka], 1886:210; Graham, 1885:73). Graham's record may be erroneous, because it evidently was based on the same collection from the Missouri River that was reported by Jordan and Meek (1886:12-14), who did not list the Topeka shiner from that locality. Breukelman (1940b: 380), reporting on fish in the University of Kansas Museum of Natural History, tabulated 27 specimens from the "Kansas [river], and tributaries not otherwise named." Presumably, this record refers to specimens collected by the State Biological Survey in 1912, from Rock Creek, Douglas County. Jennings (1942: 365) listed N. topeka from two localities, one of which is the only record from the Marais des Cygnes System (Missouri River Drainage). Minckley (1956:353-354) reported one additional locality in the Kansas Basin. The species is now known from many other streams in the eastern part of the basin, mostly in the Flint Hills Region. All of the older records from the Arkansas River System are west of 970 longitude, except for two specimens (formerly Indiana Uni