Habitat, Fish Species, and Fish Assemblage Associations of the Topeka Shiner in West-Central Iowa

Abstract

Our goal was to identify habitat, fish species, and fish assemblages associated with the occurrence of Topeka Shiners Notropis topeka in stream and off-channel habitat (OCH) of west-central Iowa. Fish assemblages and habitat characteristics were estimated in 67 stream and 27 OCH sites during 2010–2011. Topeka Shiners were sampled in 52% of OCH sites, but in only 9% of stream sites, which supports the hypothesis that OCH is an important component of their life history. Fish assemblages containing Topeka Shiners were different from those that did not contain Topeka Shiners in OCH sites, but this was not evident in stream sites. Results from logistic regression models suggested that Topeka Shiner presence was associated with increased submerged vegetation and abundance of Fathead Minnow Pimephales promelas. Contrary to the findings of other studies, the abundance of large piscivorous fishes was not associated with the occurrence of Topeka Shiners. Our results provide new information about the biology and life history of the Topeka Shiner that will guide habitat restoration and other recovery efforts.

Received July 17, 2012; accepted August 20, 2013

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Savanna Bice, Jacob Miller, Cole Harty, Jared Brashears, Brett Meyers, Grant Scholten, and Michael Sundberg for their assistance in the field and Michael Colvin and Jesse Fischer for their suggestions throughout this study. We also thank Daryl Howell for his cooperation and Aleshia Kenney, Kraig McPeek, Richard Eades, and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on this manuscript. Additionally, we thank Philip Dixon for his comments and suggestions for figures and statistical analyses. This project was supported in part by the Department of Natural Resource Ecology at Iowa State University, Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Use of trade names does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.