Fishes and their parts lend themselves well to the illustration of diverse concepts ranging from anatomical form and function to evolution and ecological niche. Teaching is enhanced by using actual specimens that can be handled. This paper describes methods for preparing bony structures and parts with soft tissues. The bony parts were prepared using a strong chlorine bleach solution. The items with soft tissue were prepared by freeze-drying. Procedures are given for the preparation and drying of these specimens by using a frost-free freezer. The drying times are discussed, and examples of finished specimens are illustrated and discussed.

The Neosho madtom, Noturus placidus, is a small catfish listed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened. Little is known of its breeding biology and behavior because high turbidity and flow during its spawning season prevent direct observation in the field, and captive propagation has met with limited success. We held Neosho madtoms in laboratory aquaria in 1996 and 1998 to study sexual dimorphism during breeding season, courtship and nesting behavior, egg and clutch size, and embryological and larval development. We also attempted to induce spawning. Courtship behaviors were recorded on videotape, including “carousel” and “tail curl” displays in which the fish spun in circles, head to tail, then quivered, with the male's tail wrapped around the female's head. Three clutches were observed, all in nest cavities that had been excavated by the fish under a structure; one clutch (1996) consisted of approximately 60 eggs, with a mean chorion diameter of 3.1 mm, and two (1998) consisted of approximately 30 eggs, with mean diameter of 3.7 mm. In all situations, eggs hatched after eight or nine days, and yolk-sacs were fully depleted seven days later. One spawn (1998) occurred after two days of injection with synthetic hormone. Male parental care of eggs and larvae was observed in 1996. Larvae remained in the nest until yolk-sacs were absorbed, after which they dispersed throughout the tank. Dissection of two females that laid clutches in this study revealed previtellogenic eggs in the lumen of ovaries, with a mean chorion diameter of 0.9 mm. Swollen lips of males, distended abdomen of females, and differences in head shape, premaxillary tooth patch coloring, and genital papillae of breeding males and females were documented during spawning periods.

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 age-2 males and 100% of age-3 males were mature. The average numbers of mature (largest) ova in age-1 and age-2 females collected 23 May 1981 were 356 and 819, respectively. The number of mature ova increased with length, weight, and age of the female. Sixty-two percent of age-1 females and 100% of age-2 females were mature.

Topeka shiners ranged in age from 2 to 36 months. The mean lengths of fish at ages of 12, 24, and 36 months were 34.6 mm, 42.5 mm, and 53.2 mm SL, respectively. The growth rate of age group 0 and 0 fish was approximately 0.13 mm/day. The sex ratio did not differ significantly from 1:1 except in the age-2 group, in which males outnumbered females 3.3:1.

Topeka shiners were principally diurnal feeders and typically fed near the substrate, mostly on chironomids and ephemeropterans. Although algae and detritus were prevalent in gut contents, it was unclear whether Topeka shiners were intentionally consuming and digesting this material.

The Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka), an endemic minnow of the Great Plains, has been extirpated over much of its former range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it as an endangered species in January 1999. The only extant population of N. topeka remaining on the High Plains is located in northwestern Kansas. During 1999, we studied aspects of the natural history of this isolated population. Notropis topeka fed in aggregations comprised of central stonerollers (Campostoma anomalum), fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas), green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus), orangespotted sunfish (Lepomis humilis), and orangethroat darters (Etheostoma spectabile). Notropis topeka also raided the nests of P. promelas to consume eggs. Nests of N. topeka were located on the periphery of L. cyanellus nests, and possibly on the periphery of L. humilis and P. promelas nests. We describe the spawning act of N. topeka on the periphery of L. cyanellus nests, as well as their interspecific behavior near the nests of L. cyanellus, L. humilis, and P. promelas.

To examine habitat conditions associated with abundance of Macrhybopsis hyostoma, 10 seine-hauls were made at each of 24 sites encompassing the major western tributaries of the Arkansas River. All seine hauls were made in habitats that, within each collection locality, were considered most likely to include the species. Each haul was characterized for mean depth, water velocity, and substratum compaction and particle size. Comparison of use versus availability within intervals of these variables demonstrated nonrandom distribution of the species for each variable measured. At locations where the species occurred, usage curves and electivity indexes indicated that both age-groups preferred moderate current velocities (20–40 cm/s) and substrata with high percentages of pea-sized gravel (60–90%) and moderate levels of compaction. A discriminant function based on stream-reaches of occurrence for the species predicted either absence (90% of the seine hauls) or rarity of the species (10% of the hauls) in stream reaches where M. hyostoma or a close relative (M. tetranema) had been extirpated. Based on these results, and in the absence of further knowledge on habitat availability and suitability, it seems inadvisable to attempt reintroductions of M. hyostoma into presently unoccupied streams within its historical range in Oklahoma.

We examined temporal stability of minnow species co-occurrence using four sets of collections made by seining in streams of the central United States. These collections were made at spatial scales ranging from within a single watershed to across a six-state region of the lower Great Plains, and over time periods ranging from 17 to 75 years. A Jaccard's index of co-occurrence based on presence-absence was calculated for all possible species pairs across all sites for each set of collections. Stability of co-occurrence patterns was assessed using Mantel tests to compare co-occurrence matrices for sequential collections. Within a single watershed (Piney Creek, Izard County, Arkansas) patterns of co-occurrence at 12 sites were correlated highly across sequential collections (r = 0.618 to 0.871, n = 9), suggesting that species associations within the watershed are stable and predictable. Within the Red River basin (Red and Washita rivers), correlations of co-occurrence patterns at six sites were variable and some correlations were extremely low across sequential collections (r = −0.153 to 0.870, n = 17). At the largest geographic scale, species co-occurrence patterns were highly correlated for collections made 17 years apart at 61 sites throughout the lower Great Plains (r = 0.828). Co-occurrence patterns also were compared between collections made by A. I. Ortenburger at 48 sites in the Red and Canadian river drainages of Oklahoma in 1925–1927 and collections made by W. J. Matthews at 57 sites in the same drainages in 1975–1999. Patterns of species co-occurrence remained significantly correlated (r = 0.563) over a timespan of greater than half a century, in spite of dramatic changes in the streams, such as construction of large dams.

We sampled fishes four times each year at 12 sites on the Solomon, North Fork Solomon, and South Fork Solomon rivers in north-central Kansas during 1996 and 1997. Kirwin and Webster reservoirs are located on the North Fork Solomon River and South Fork Solomon River, respectively, and Waconda Reservoir inundates the confluence of these two rivers at the head of the Solomon River. Multivariate analyses identified two fish assemblages that were related to stream discharge. One fish assemblage was associated with stream segments that had lower discharges, such as those located upstream from Kirwin and Webster reservoirs. This assemblage was characterized by equal numbers of extirpations of native species and introductions of nonnative species. The other fish assemblage was associated with the reservoirs and stream segments that had higher discharges. This assemblage was characterized by a large number of species that were introduced or had immigrated into these areas. For the basin as a whole, 32% of the native species of fishes have been extirpated, and 51% of the present assemblage was comprised of nonnative species. Most of the extirpations and introductions are associated with habitat changes caused by agricultural development and the construction of impoundments. The relatively large component of the fish assemblage comprised of nonnative species reflects the trend toward homogenization of fish assemblages throughout the United States.

Long-term changes in the fish assemblage of the Big Blue River basin, Kansas, were examined by comparison of a stream survey conducted prior to the construction of Tuttle Creek Reservoir (1957 to 1958) with two surveys conducted approximately 40 years later. The most recent survey, in 2001, included 14 of the original sites sampled in the late 1950s. The most notable changes to the fish assemblages were the introduction and presumed establishment of four species (Notropis atherinoides, Pimephales vigilax, Gambusia affinis, and Notemigonus crysoleucas) and the apparent extirpation of Macrhybopsis aestivalis. Other than the loss of M. aestivalis, incidence and relative abundance of other species remained similar to that which occurred before the construction of the reservoir. Percent similarity of the fish assemblage between the 1950s and the recent samples ranged between 34.7% and 84.4%, dependent on stream type (mud, gravel, or sand substrate). In addition, species incidence patterns were significantly concordant between the 1950s and the two recent surveys, with the exception of mud-bottomed streams sampled during 2001. Finally, Jaccard's index was used to compare assemblage similarity between 14 sites sampled in both the late 1950s and 2001. Although assemblage similarity between time periods was on average low (x̄ = 0.411), a Mantel test suggested a significant concordance between sampling periods, indicating the spatial structure of the assemblage was stable. We conclude that Tuttle Creek Reservoir has served as a source for the establishment and subsequent dispersal of introduced species in the Big Blue River system and that it is important to monitor routinely these assemblages because species may continue to invade the Big Blue River system with unpredictable consequences for the native fish fauna.

The recovery of three fish species following a catastrophic flood (>50 y recurrence interval) and seasonal drying were studied in Kings Creek basin at the Konza Prairie Biological Station in northeastern Kansas. Fish collected from three tallgrass prairie headwater springs were marked and recaptured to determine if headwater springs were a source of fish recolonizing intermittent sections downstream and to estimate population sizes in the headwater springs. Three fish species (Campostoma anomalum, Phoxinus erythrogaster, and Etheostoma spectabile) were collected. Catch rates and population estimates of fish nine days post-flood were approximately half of the values obtained during subsequent sampling periods. Recolonization of an intermittent section was primarily by age-0 fish that seemingly were displaced downstream by flood events. The distribution of fish within the upper subbasins of the South Branch of Kings Creek was limited to perennial spring-fed reaches. The short duration of continuous flow and regular drying in these tributaries might limit the dispersal of individuals between populations in this landscape.

To assess the potential impacts of impoundments on sensitive stream species, such as the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka) and hornyhead chub (Nocomis biguttatus), I conducted a review of existing scientific literature. A substantial body of literature indicates that construction of dams has a negative impact on native stream fishes. In general, an impoundment can reduce the quantity and quality of stream habitat, alter reproductive and feeding behavior of fishes, and increase the number and sizes of predatory fish within a stream system. These impacts suggest a negative relationship between impoundments and obligate stream species, such as the Topeka shiner and hornyhead chub.

Freshwater mussels are declining rapidly in many parts of their range throughout North America, primarily as a result of anthropogenic alterations of their habitat, including damming of rivers. To assess the effects of lowhead dams on freshwater mussel assemblages in the Neosho River, Kansas, we sampled mussels by groping along transects and searching haphazardly along a 100-m stretch at eight sites of four site types (i.e., upstream reference, upstream treatment, downstream treatment, and downstream reference) centered around two lowhead dams. We collected from four to 11 species of mussels at each site, and a total of 13 species. Analysis of variance indicated a significant difference in mean species richness and evenness, but not abundance, among site types, consistent with the hypothesis that lowhead dams affect freshwater mussel assemblage composition in the Neosho River.

Recent collections of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Margaritaferidae, and Unionoidae) in Kansas included two species previously not documented from the state: Cumberlandia monodonta (Say, 1829), spectaclecase, and Cyclonaias tuberculata (Rafinesque, 1820), purple wartyback. The collections also have provided distributional revisions for five other mussel species.

Gill-breathing operculate snails (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) were reported historically from streams and wetlands throughout eastern Kansas. The past century has witnessed declines in the geographic range of most native taxa and the probable extirpation of at least two species, Campeloma crassulum and Amnicola limosus. Recent investigations have documented populations of five remaining prosobranch species. These include Probythinella emarginata, previously known in Kansas solely from the Pleistocene fossil record, and Pleurocera acuta, last reported in the state in 1956. Cincinnatia integra remains the most widely distributed prosobranch snail, occurring in scattered colonies throughout much of eastern Kansas. Pomatiopsis lapidaria, Elimia potosiensis, P. emarginata, and P. acuta are each relegated to a single known marsh or stream drainage. Earlier reports of Campeloma decisum in Kansas now are attributed to the conchologically similar species, C. crassulum. Changes observed in the prosobranch fauna during the past century have paralleled historical declines in habitat availability and surface water quality. The reversal of these environmental trends should serve as the initial focus of snail recovery efforts in Kansas.

As I write this biography of Dr. Frank Bernard Cross a year after his death, I wonder how best to portray the life and impact of this dapper man of relatively small physical stature and unassuming nature. Should I lay out his personal history, or describe his academic achievements and honors, or explore the impact he had on the State of Kansas, or detail the impact he had on people who had the great fortune to interact with him? What is the measure of a man? Perhaps one indication is that this article accompanies an entire issue of the Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science dedicated to him, and that it is being written on the tiny island of Saipan in the western Pacific, thousands of miles away from Kansas. Because Frank's impact was diverse, this biography will not focus on Frank's academic achievements, because they stand on their own merits, but rather touch upon a variety of the affects he had on numerous people.