Sampling was conducted over a two-year period to determine if fish body morphology (as indicated by the Fineness Ratio (FR), an index of fish streamlining) and habitat alterations can interact to influence fish assemblage structure in three human-altered segments of the Missouri River. It was hypothesized that segments with more variability in depths, velocities, and substrates would have a fish assemblage characterized by more diversity in streamlining. Conversely, it was hypothesized that fish assemblages in more altered river segments would exhibit less diversity in streamlining, i.e., less variability from optimal values because of more uniform habitat conditions. In faster more uniform habitats, fewer variations from optimal streamlining would be adaptive. The three flowing segments studied encompassed the mouth of the Yellowstone River (YSS; moderately altered), the area below Garrison Dam, North Dakota (GOS; below dam-highly altered) and the segment from St. Joseph to Kansas City, Missouri (SKS; channelized-highly altered). The three segments exhibited greatly different fish assemblages. Small native minnows (Cyprinidae), particularly flathead chub (Platygobio gracilis), and deep-bodied suckers, such as bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus), were common in the YSS. The GOS was dominated by the dorsally compressed fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Emerald shiner (Notropis atherinoides) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) dominated the fish assemblage in the SKS. When FR and physical conditions were analyzed across all habitat types, the least altered, more natural YSS was characterized by higher diversity of FR and higher variability in velocity and depth than the most altered SKS. Results for the GOS were more difficult to interpret. The fish assemblage in the highly channelized SKS exhibited the weighted mean FR that was closest to the optimal 4.5 value (FR = 4.42) with the smallest deviation from optimal (0.08). The highest mean and highest maximum current velocity use in the three segments was found for species such as sicklefin chub (Macrhybopsis meeki), sturgeon chub (Macrhybopsis gelida), and blue sucker (Cycleptus elongatus), that were nearly optimally streamlined. Deep-bodied species with FRs typically below 3.5, such as Ictiobus spp., river carpsucker (Carpiodes carpio), and centrarchids, tended to exhibit the lowest mean and lowest maximum current velocity use in the three segments . Results of this study can be useful in helping to understand fish assemblage composition in relation to river alterations in various geographical areas. Because the fineness ratio is only a simple index of streamlining and does not account for other anatomical (e.g., fins) and behavioral aspects of fishes, more studies on different species are needed to develop a stronger understanding of how fish cope with the current. Because of the complexity of interacting natural and human-caused factors affecting these highly altered large river systems, fish streamlining is only one of several factors that may influence the observed fish community structure of a large river system. Streamlining deserves consideration, however, for inclusion in more complex models explaining and predicting fish community structure in large rivers.

Although persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in bottom-feeding fish have been monitored for decades in Kansas, no information regarding long term trends has been published. Therefore, in this study we examined fish tissue data collected from six long-term, large-river, fish tissue monitoring stations in Kansas for trends in POP concentrations. Based on the findings we also forecasted future persistence and discussed the practical implications of our findings. The data we examined consisted of whole-body composited multi-fish samples collected over periods spanning 21–33 years. Common carp was the target species, but occasionally other bottom-feeding species were substituted when necessary. The sample constituents examined were dieldrin, technical chlordane, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Constituent data were normalized by lipid content prior to analysis, however, because lipid content was not measured during certain time periods, multiple imputation (MI) and analyses techniques (SAS 2014) were employed to overcome the data gaps. The lipidnormalized data were analyzed for time trends using robust non-parametric techniques, which were capable of handling both censored and uncensored data. Because of expected high sample variability, correlations between time and constituent concentrations were considered statistically probable (significant) at p-values < 0.1. Where correlations were significant, the trend line equations were extrapolated to current method reporting limit (RLs) concentrations and 90% prediction intervals (PIs) were constructed around the forecasted RL/year intercepts. Fifteen of the 24 analyses resulted in statistical significance, but no monitoring station experienced significantly declining trends among all four constituents, nor did any constituent significantly decrease across all six stations. The average forecasted RL/year intercept was 2050 (PI = /- 23 years), however some upper PIs suggested some POPS could remain detectable in fish for at least another century.

Milnesium burgessi nov. sp. is a new species of tardigrade described from the canopy of eastern Kansas, USA. This unique tardigrade of class Eutardigrada, order Apochela and family Milnesiidae is characterized by its smooth cuticle, six peribuccal lamellae, long primary branch of the claws with accessory points, a claw configuration of [3-3]-[3-3] and a buccal tube that is significantly shorter than other species.

Several hypotheses have been offered to explain handedness in primates. In prosimian primates, including lemurs, left-hand orientation has been demonstrated; however, few studies have examined hand vs. mouth orientation. We compared preference for use of hand vs. mouth, single hand over both hands, and right hand vs. left hand in captive ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata), and collared brown lemurs (Eulemur collaris). For a male and female of each species, plus twin female offspring of ring-tailed lemurs, we made 100 observations per individual, recording hand vs. mouth use every 30 seconds as individuals performed enrichment and routine daily activities. Overall, these lemurs tended to be more handed than mouth-oriented, preferred to use a single hand more than both hands, and used their left hand more than their right. Males were more left-handed than females. Analysis of specific activities showed that eating was hand-oriented, while grooming was mouth-oriented. Results are also reported by species. Research on lemur use of hands vs. mouth could provide insight into the evolution of handedness in primates.

The Jetmore Chalk Member of the Greenhorn Limestone is a Late Cretaceous rock unit deposited under the Western Interior Seaway in North America. We here report an assemblage of vertebrate fossils collected through surface collecting and bulk sampling at a new Jetmore Chalk locality in Republic County, Kansas, U.S.A. Taxonomically, it consists of diverse carnivorous fish taxa (e.g., Ptychodus, Cretoxyrhina, Squalicorax, Pachyrhizodus, and Plethodidae), indicating that the marine paleoecology during the deposition of the Jetmore Chalk was quite complex. The fossil assemblage also includes the first record of the aquatic lizard, Coniasaurus cf. C. crassidens, from the Jetmore Chalk, as well as the first record of a ‘billfish’-type bony fish, Cylindracanthus sp., from Kansas that also represents the oldest fossil record for the genus. Whereas the overall taxonomic composition of known fossil vertebrates from the Jetmore Chalk is consistent with typical Cenomanian-Santonian vertebrate assemblages of the Western Interior Seaway, this study demonstrates the presence of local differences in the relative abundance of fossils across different fish taxa between a known Jetmore Chalk locality and the new Jetmore Chalk locality described in this study.

Road kills impact many wildlife species, but only a limited number of studies have included small animals during these surveys. This study described the road mortality for large, medium and small vertebrates, which includes amphibians, reptiles, small mammals and birds. A 32.2 km stretch of Kansas Highway K254 was surveyed from 31 May 1985 thru 20 May 1987. Eighty-eight species comprised the 4484 individuals found during this study. The road mortality for mammal and bird groups here resembled those reported in other studies, but differed from those reported for herpetofauna group. Ornate box turtle, prairie kingsnake and gopher snake sustained higher road mortalities than found in previous studies. Wildlife also experienced greater road mortality in a landscape where prairie occurred in large contiguous tracts compared with a patchwork of small stands. This study showed that surveying a limited stretch of highway represents a feasible way to obtain accurate road mortality data.

Order Eoblattida Handlirsch, 1906, sensu Aristov, 2015, comprises 16 extinct families and a single extant one, Grylloblattidae Walker, 1914. Three species of the genus Stereopterum Carpenter, 1950 (Euryptilonidae) from the Elmo, Kansas and Midco, Oklahoma Lower Permian were the only Wellington Formation taxa attributed by Aristov (2015) to the Eoblattida. This assignment was based on work by Carpenter (1950, 1966), for the Kansas records and Beckemeyer and Hall (2007), for the Oklahoma record. In this paper, a new eoblattid genus and species is described based on a specimen collected by Paul Tasch in the 1960′s from the Lower Permian Wellington Formation of Marion County, Kansas and is assigned to family Blattogryllidae Rasnitsyn, 1976.

New collections of terrestrial gastropods in Kansas have extended the number of known land snail species by two. Xolotrema fosteri (F. C. Baker, 1921), the Bladetooth Wedge, was found in 11 counties and Ventridens demissus (A. Binney, 1843), the Perforate Dome, was found in a single county.

Upland chert gravel deposits are common on high terraces, hilltops, and drainage divides across much of southeastern and east-central Kansas. Recent building and landscaping excavations have revealed chert gravel in several parts of northwestern Emporia on or near the divide between the Neosho and Cottonwood drainage basins. Assuming a late Pliocene age for highest chert gravel yields an average incision rate of ∼1.3 cm per 1000 years. Chert gravel is typically found on high terraces and drainage divides north of eastwest flowing stream valleys and west of north-south trending streams, which suggests regional crustal tilting downward to the south and east as a plausible mechanism to explain this widespread valley asymmetry. Much confusion surrounds the stratigraphy of upland chert gravel deposits on a regional basis. Improved age information and reconstruction of paleodrainage would be necessary to establish stratigraphic relationships of upland chert gravel deposits among the various drainage basins.

Rudist clams were a diverse group of large, atypical marine bivalves that evolved in the warmer waters of the Earth during the Jurassic and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. Rudists were generally gregarious and are considered to be the major reef building organisms in equatorial regions during the Late Cretaceous. Durania maxima is the only species of rudist known from the Smoky Hill Chalk where it occurs sparsely as single individuals or small groups, suggesting that it was at the northern extent of its range. Although specimens of this clam have been collected from the chalk since the 1870s, accurate stratigraphic data is lacking on the type and most other specimens discovered since that time. As noted by Williston (1893), Logan (1898), Hattin (1982) and Stewart (1990), D. maxima occurs most frequently in the lower (Upper Coniacian) chalk, and is present throughout the member. Relatively little work has been done on the occurrence of D. maxima in the Western Interior Sea, in part because it occurs outside the normal geographic range of rudists and does not constitute a significant part of the fauna. The history of the discovery and collection of this fossil bivalve in Kansas is reviewed, and two recently collected specimens are reported here with stratigraphic data.

According to recent state records, Woodchucks (Marmota monax) have been spreading slowly westward across Kansas, moving most rapidly along the river systems in the northern half of the state. Here I report on a well-established population of woodchucks within the city limits of Derby (Sedgwick County), Kansas. Data consists of a voucher specimen (skeleton) collected in 2017, photographs (2017) and previous sightings by the author, trappings by city animal control personnel and accounts of other citizens. Three voucher specimens are also known from Sumner and Cowley counties to the south.

Edestus is a Middle Pennsylvanian chondrichthyan possessing symphyseal tooth whorls in both the upper and lower jaws. The curvature of the tooth whorls prevents most of the crowns of the opposing whorls from occluding with each other. For that reason, it has recently been hypothesized that the tooth whorls were used to slash prey with a vertical motion of the anterior part of the body, not to cut prey caught between them. A tooth of Edestus minor having a truncated, smoothly worn apex has been reported previously. Here, a partial tooth whorl of a different species, Edestus heinrichi, is described. The apices of the crowns are worn, so that the crown heights are reduced by about one third. The more labial (older) of the two preserved crowns shows more wear than the more lingual (younger) one. In contrast to the previously reported E. minor tooth, wear is observed to the serrations as well as to the apices of the crowns. The observed wear on both the E. minor tooth and on the E. heinrichi tooth whorl supports the recent hypothesis on the function of the tooth whorls. In both cases, the apices might have been abraded by attempted predation on or scavenging of large fish having skin covered with denticles or scales.

The green branched filamentous alga Spongioplastidium proliferum Vischer is reported for the first time in North America. Spongioplastidium proliferum was collected from ponds in Douglas and Neosho Counties, Kansas. Subsequently it was isolated and placed into culture. Zoospore production is detailed for the first time.

Plant physiological tolerance to oil exposure has been linked to flooding tolerance, as both conditions induce anoxic conditions in the soil. It was hypothesized that tolerance of wetland plants to oil was due to enhanced development of root aerenchyma, which could aerate submerged tissues and support aerobic respiration during anoxic conditions resulting from oil exposure. In this study, four wetland grasses of varying tolerance to anoxic conditions were subjected to 6 L m^-2 motor oil in greenhouse experiments for six weeks and root aerenchyma was assessed by microscopy. Physiological tolerance to spilled oil came from an ability to supply oxygen internally to submerged tissues and to anatomical barrier layers that maintain integrity of root structure. The most oil tolerant species, Phragmites australis (common reed) and Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass), had extensive root aerenchyma, which could ventilate oil-coated roots and support aerobic respiration. Moderate oil tolerance was observed in Spartina pectinata (prairie cordgrass), which was supported by root aerenchyma development, but with minor damage in structure under oil-impacted conditions. The most sensitive species to oil, Phalaris arundinacea (reed canarygrass), had less aerenchyma in roots and extensive root damage from oil exposure. Complete degradation of the root cortex was observed in Phalaris arundinacea and, therefore, a reduction in aerenchyma. These data help explain physiological differences among species exposed to spilled oil. Root aerenchyma provides aeration to support respiration in oiled roots, and an effective barrier at the exodermis helps to maintain root cortical structure.

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve (TPNP), Chase County, KS, is located in the Flint Hills, part of the largest remaining tract of tallgrass prairie in the world. The waters of TPNP are inhabited by numerous fish species, but no definitive list of fishes occurring in the preserve has been available previously. We compiled records from published literature and unpublished reports of previous ichthyological sampling and monitoring at TPNP, added information from our own sampling, and present a record of 53 fish species found on the Preserve.

A considerable amount of research work on climate change is being done to examine what has happened in the recorded past and what might happen throughout the remainder of the 21st Century. While the data for trends in the temperature record tend to be more straightforward, what has and will happen with precipitation change is less clear. However, there is the suggestion that wet places will get wetter and dry places with become more arid.

Research by others suggests that extreme daily precipitation amounts in Kansas are trending upward. This research addresses the observational record of change in precipitation seasonality, a little-studied aspect of global climate variability and the related impact on moisture delivery. Monthly precipitation data were summed to provide seasonal totals and seasonal percentages of the annual total were calculated. Using data for the nine Climate Divisions within Kansas for the period from 1895–2014, the results from this analysis indicate that much of Kansas has a winter-dry climate. Over the period of record, there has been a tendency for the spring months of March, April, and May to gain a greater share of the annual total. Geographic variation across the state indicates a west-to-east gradient with greater seasonality in the west and a greater increase in spring and summer precipitation in eastern Kansas.

The distribution of species belonging to the cobweb spider genera Emertonella, Euryopis, Stemmops, Enoplognatha, Asagena, and Steatoda (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Kansas is presented. Eight species are newly added to the state fauna, namely: Emertonella emertoni, Euryopis quinquemaculata, E. scriptipes, Stemmops ornatus, Enoplognatha intrepida, Asagena fulva, Steatoda alamosa, and S. variata.

Long-legged wading birds (Family Ardeidae) feed in a variety of aquatic microhabitats, all of which have the potential to alter foraging behavior based upon different abiotic and biotic factors such as the energetic value of the prey present. Foraging behavior in three microhabitats was measured for Great Egrets (Ardea alba) and Snowy Egrets (Egretta thula) from May-August 2017. For both species, we completed six hours of observations in rivers, ponds, and weirs (small waterfalls). We recorded strike rates and capture rates per minute, and prey lengths relative to culmen length. Foraging efficiencies were then calculated, which we defined as successful strikes divided by total strikes. Lengths, weights, and energetic values were estimated for all captured prey. Snowy Egrets (55%) had higher overall foraging efficiencies than Great Egrets (48%). Foraging success for both species also differed by microhabitat. Snowy Egrets had significantly higher foraging efficiencies than Great Egrets in rivers and weirs, but not in ponds. There were also significant differences in strike rates, capture rates, and prey sizes both by microhabitat and between species. Both species had the highest foraging efficiency at weirs. Snowy Egrets had higher strike rates and capture rates than Great Egrets in all three microhabitats. However, Great Egrets caught fish in all three microhabitats that were higher energetic value than those caught by Snowy Egrets. Aggression rates at weirs were about three times higher than at both rivers and ponds.