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TABLES
TABLES
This report concerns the ability of fish-populations in the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers in Kansas to readjust to continuous stream-flow following intermittent conditions resulting from the severest drought in the history of the State. The variable weather in Kansas (and in other areas of the Great Plains) markedly affects its flora and fauna. Weaver and Albertson (1936) reported as much as 91 per cent loss in the basal prairie vegetative cover in Kansas near the close of the drought of t
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DESCRIPTION OF NEOSHO RIVER
DESCRIPTION OF NEOSHO RIVER
The Neosho River, a tributary of Arkansas River, rises in the Flint Hills of Morris and southwestern Wabaunsee counties and flows southeast for 281 miles in Kansas, leaving the state in the extreme southeast corner (Fig. 1). With its tributaries (including Cottonwood and Spring rivers) the Neosho drains 6,285 square miles in Kansas and enters the Arkansas River near Muskogee, Oklahoma (Schoewe, 1951:299). Upstream from its confluence with Cottonwood River, the Neosho River has an average gradien
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DESCRIPTION OF MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVER
DESCRIPTION OF MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVER
The Marais des Cygnes River, a tributary of Missouri River, rises in the Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County, Kansas, and flows generally eastward through the southern part of Osage County and the middle of Franklin County. The river then takes a southeasterly course through Miami County and the northeastern part of Linn County, leaving the state northeast of Pleasanton. With its tributaries (Dragoon, Salt, Pottawatomie, Bull and Big Sugar creeks) the river drains 4,360 square miles in Kansas (Anony
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Electrical Fishing Gear
Electrical Fishing Gear
The principal collecting-device used was a portable (600-watt, 110-volt, A. C.) electric shocker carried in a 12-foot aluminum boat. Two 2 × 2-inch wooden booms, each ten feet long, were attached to the front of the boat in a "V" position so they normally were two feet above the surface of the water. A nylon rope attached to the tips of the booms held them ten feet apart. Electrodes, six feet long, were suspended from the tip and center of each boom, and two electrodes were suspended from the ny
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Seines
Seines
Seines of various lengths (4, 6, 12, 15, 25 and 60 feet), with mesh-sizes varying from bobbinet to one-half inch, were used. The 4-, 12-, and 25-foot seines were used in the estimation of relative abundance by taking ten hauls with each seine, recording all species captured in each haul, and making a total count of all fish captured in two of the ten hauls. The two hauls to be counted were chosen prior to each collection from a table of random numbers. Additional selective seining was done to as
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Gill Nets
Gill Nets
Gill-netting was done mostly in 1959 at the lower Neosho station. Use of gill nets was limited because frequent slight rises in the river caused nets to collect excessive debris, with damage to the nets. Gill nets used were 125 feet long, six feet deep, with mesh sizes of ¾ inch to 2½ inches. Nets, weighted to sink, were placed at right angles to the current and attached at the banks with rope....
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Sodium Cyanide
Sodium Cyanide
Pellets of sodium cyanide were used infrequently to collect fish from a moderately fast riffle over gravel bottom that was overgrown with willows, making seining impossible. The pellets were dissolved in a small amount of water, a seine was held in place, and the cyanide solution was introduced into the water a short distance upstream from the seine, causing incapacitated fish to drift into the seine. Most of these fish that were placed in uncontaminated water revived....
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Rotenone
Rotenone
Rotenone was used in a few small pools in efforts to capture complete populations. This method was used to check the validity of other methods, and to reduce the possibility that rare species would go undetected. Rotenone was applied by hand, and applications were occasionally supplemented by placing rotenone in a container that was punctured with a small hole and suspended over the water at the head of a riffle draining into the area being poisoned. This maintained a toxic concentration in the
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Dyes
Dyes
Bismark Brown Y was used primarily at the upper Neosho station to stain large numbers of small fish. The dye was used at a dilution of 1:20,000. Fishes were placed in the dye-solution for three hours, then transferred to a live-box in midstream for variable periods (ten minutes to twelve hours) before release....
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Determination of Abundance
Determination of Abundance
In the accounts of species that follow, the relative terms "abundant," "common," and "rare" are used. Assignment of one of these terms to each species was based on analysis of data that are presented in Tables 9-16, (pages 402, 403, 404, 405, 408, 410, 411, 414-415, and 416). The number of fish caught per unit of effort with the shocker (Table 10) and with seines (Table 11) constitute the main basis for statements about the abundance of each species at all stations except the upper Neosho statio
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Names of Fishes
Names of Fishes
Technical names of fishes are those that seem to qualify under the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. Vernacular names are those in Special Publication No. 2 (1960) of the American Fisheries Society, with grammatical modifications required for use in the University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History. Lepisosteus osseus (Linnaeus) Long-nosed Gar The long-nosed gar was abundant at the lower and middle Neosho stations and the lower Marais des Cygnes station. Numbers incr
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Table 5. Numbers and Sizes of Long-nosed Gar Captured by Shocker and Gill Nets at the Middle and Lower Neosho Stations in 1957, 1958 and 1959.
Table 5. Numbers and Sizes of Long-nosed Gar Captured by Shocker and Gill Nets at the Middle and Lower Neosho Stations in 1957, 1958 and 1959.
Because collecting was intensive and several methods were used, I think that the population of gars was sampled adequately. Wallen ( Fishes of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma , 1958:29 [mimeographed copy of dissertation, Oklahoma State University]) took large individuals in the mainstream of the Verdigris River in Oklahoma and small specimens from the headwaters of some tributaries. Because I took young-of-the-year at the lower Neosho station, it is possible that long-nosed gar move upstream whe
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Table 6. Numbers and Sizes of Short-nosed Gar Captured by Shocker and Gill Nets at the Middle and Lower Neosho Stations in 1958 and 1959.
Table 6. Numbers and Sizes of Short-nosed Gar Captured by Shocker and Gill Nets at the Middle and Lower Neosho Stations in 1958 and 1959.
Dorosoma cepedianum (LeSueur) Gizzard Shad Gizzard shad declined in abundance from 1957 to 1959. The largest population occurred at the middle station on the Marais des Cygnes in 1957. Shad were mainly in quiet water; often, when the river-level was high, I found them predominately in backwaters or in the mouths of tributary streams. Examination of nine individuals, ranging in size from seven inches to 13.5 inches T. L., indicated that maturity is reached at 10 to 11 inches T. L. Spawning probab
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Table 7. Length-frequency of Channel Catfish from the Neosho River, 1957, 1958 and 1959. (Numbers in Vertical Columns Indicate the Number of Individuals of a Certain Size Collected on That Date.)
Table 7. Length-frequency of Channel Catfish from the Neosho River, 1957, 1958 and 1959. (Numbers in Vertical Columns Indicate the Number of Individuals of a Certain Size Collected on That Date.)
Near the end of the spawning season in 1959, I found spawning catfish at the lower Neosho station. Ripe females were taken between 9 June and 30 June, 1959; and, on 19 June I found a channel catfish nest with eggs (water temp. 79° F.). The nest-site was a hole in the base of a clay bank; the floor was clean gravel with a small mound of gravel at the entrance. The nest-opening, five to six inches in diameter, widened almost immediately into a chamber about two and one-half feet long and one foot
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Table 11. Number of Occurrences (Roman type) and Number Counted (Italic type) per Seining Unit. One Seining Unit Equals 30 Seine-Hauls (ten each with the 4-foot, 12-foot and 25-foot seine) of Which Six Randomly-chosen Hauls Were Counted. Dashes Signify That the Species Occurred in Uncounted Collections Only.
Table 11. Number of Occurrences (Roman type) and Number Counted (Italic type) per Seining Unit. One Seining Unit Equals 30 Seine-Hauls (ten each with the 4-foot, 12-foot and 25-foot seine) of Which Six Randomly-chosen Hauls Were Counted. Dashes Signify That the Species Occurred in Uncounted Collections Only.
Collections at the upper Neosho station were more intensive than at any other station, especially in 1959. Rotenone was used in the summers of 1957, 1958 and 1959, to obtain large samples of the population in one section of the stream. In September, 1959, the shocker was used in other sections in order to estimate populations in particular pools and riffles, to measure variability in the fauna between areas having slightly different habitat, and to record movement of marked individuals in a shor
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Description of Study-areas
Description of Study-areas
Two sections of the stream, each about one-half mile long (See p. 366), were studied. Additional description of particular areas is presented below. Area 1 and the pools in which rotenone was used are on the Bosch Farm approximately two miles upstream from the White Farm where Areas 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are situated. Area 1 has a length of 210 feet, an average width of four feet, and a maximum depth of two feet. The upper half is a swift, rubble riffle four inches in average depth; the lower half
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Methods
Methods
Rotenone was applied to an intermittent pool in 1957. In 1958 and 1959 rotenone was applied to the upper end of a pool and mixed by agitating the water. The concentration in the pool was maintained by slowly introducing part of the rotenone into the riffle at the head of the pool. This was the most effective means of obtaining a large sample of fish from the deeper, slowly flowing water of the upper Neosho. Pools in which rotenone was used had areas of as much as one-half acre and depths in exce
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Changes in the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station, 1957 Through 1959.
Changes in the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station, 1957 Through 1959.
The following discussion is based principally on collections made with rotenone in 1957, 1958 and 1959 (Table 12). Other supplementary data aid in understanding the changes that occurred after the resumption of normal flow at the upper Neosho station. The population in 1957 was strongly dominated by black bullhead and young-of-the-year channel catfish. Other common species were long-eared sunfish, red shiner, yellow bullhead, orange-spotted sunfish and green sunfish. This fauna, with the excepti
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Local Variability of the Fauna in Different Areas at the Upper Neosho Station, 1959
Local Variability of the Fauna in Different Areas at the Upper Neosho Station, 1959
The shallow areas in which the shocker was used in 1959 are the prevalent habitat in the upper Neosho River. The relative abundance of fishes found in these areas is presented in Table 13. The red shiner was most abundant and was followed (in decreasing order) by long-eared sunfish, minnows of the genus Pimephales , green sunfish, red-finned shiner, channel catfish, and stoneroller. Other species combined comprise less than ten per cent of the population. Table 13 also shows the variability in r
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Temporal Variability of Fauna in the Same Areas
Temporal Variability of Fauna in the Same Areas
The variability of the population in successive collections from the same area is presented in Table 14. Supplementary data obtained in Areas 2, 4 and 7 support conclusions discussed below for Areas 1, 3 and 6. The abundance of some species maintained a constant level, whereas that of others varied. Stoneroller, channel catfish (young-of-the-year), green sunfish, and long-eared sunfish formed the most stable element of the population, in that the numbers of these species varied less in successiv
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Population-Estimation
Population-Estimation
The direct-proportion method was used to estimate fish populations in Areas 1, 3 and 6. Reliable results could not be obtained for all species because of scarcity, mortality in handling, mobility, or other factors. A high rate of mortality due to handling was observed in Area 1 for the red shiner and in Area 6 for river carpsucker (young-of-the-year), sucker-mouthed minnows, red-finned shiner, red shiner, blunt-nosed minnow, and stoneroller. In Area 3, in contrast, there was little mortality in
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Movement of Marked Fish
Movement of Marked Fish
Some measure was gained of the amount of movement exhibited by several species of fish. Results are biased in favor of a conclusion that a species is sedentary because a large percentage of the recaptures were made in collections taken in the same immediate area three hours after release of marked fish, the total area checked was not large (one mile), and collecting was limited to an eleven-day period. Nevertheless, some species were shown to be definitely mobile and others exhibited pronounced
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Similarity of the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station to the Faunas of Nearby Streams
Similarity of the Fauna at the Upper Neosho Station to the Faunas of Nearby Streams
The fauna that I found to be characteristic at the upper Neosho station has affinity with the upland tributary-fauna described by Metcalf (1959) for Chautauqua, Cowley and Elk Counties, Kansas. The primary difference is a nearly complete absence at my station of the Ozarkian element of the population. Some species (red-finned shiner, long-eared sunfish, and spotted bass) listed by Metcalf as characteristic of the mainstream of smaller rivers occur at the upper Neosho station in greater abundance
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COMPARISON OF THE FISH FAUNAS OF THE NEOSHO AND MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVERS
COMPARISON OF THE FISH FAUNAS OF THE NEOSHO AND MARAIS DES CYGNES RIVERS
The Marais des Cygnes River has less gradient (especially in the upstream portions), fewer and shorter riffles, and more mud bottom than does the Neosho River. Stream-flow during drought was reduced to a proportionately greater degree in the Neosho River than it was in the Marais des Cygnes River. Average flow of the Neosho River near Parsons (drainage area: 4905 square miles), Kansas, was less than average flow of the Marais des Cygnes River at Trading Post (drainage area: 2880 square miles), K
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FAUNAL CHANGES, 1957 THROUGH 1959
FAUNAL CHANGES, 1957 THROUGH 1959
The following species increased in abundance from 1957 to 1959 (Tables 10 and 11): long-nosed gar, short-nosed gar, river carpsucker, creek chub, gravel chub, sucker-mouthed minnow, mountain minnow, blunt-nosed minnow, parrot minnow, stoneroller, stonecat, Neosho madtom, green sunfish, slender-headed darter, and orange-throated darter. These species can be separated into three groups, characteristic of different habitats but having in common a preference for permanent flow. One group, composed o
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CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
The fauna of the Neosho and Marais des Cygnes rivers is capable of a wide range of adjustment in response to marked environmental changes. As these rivers become low and clear they take on many of the faunal characteristics of smaller tributaries and ponds. Species such as black bullhead, spotted bass, largemouth, white crappie, red shiner, rosy-faced shiner, blunt-faced minnow, mimic shiner, and slender madtom assume a more prominent position in the total population. Other species such as chann
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The investigation here reported on was supported jointly by the Kansas Forestry, Fish and Game Commission and the State Biological Survey of Kansas. I thank Messrs. W. L. Minckley, D. A. Distler, J. McMullen, A. L. Metcalf, L. J. Olund, M. Topping, B. Nelson and Claude Hastings for assistance in the field, and Mr. Ernest Craig, Game Protector, Erie, Kansas, for valuable suggestions and co-operation. I am especially grateful to Associate Professor Frank B. Cross for his pre-drought data, guidance
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UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PUBLICATIONS MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Institutional libraries interested in publications exchange may obtain this series by addressing the Exchange Librarian, University of Kansas Library, Lawrence, Kansas. Copies for individuals, persons working in a particular field of study, may be obtained by addressing instead the Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. There is no provision for sale of this series by the University Library, which meets institutional requests, or by the Museum of Natural History, whic
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