The gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) is a mesocarnivore with a broad geographic range in North America, yet its distribution and habitat associations in Kansas have been poorly documented. Using data from a statewide camera trap survey, we opportunistically observed gray foxes in five counties in southeast Kansas, including two new county records. Gray fox detection localities were characterized by deciduous forest stands with dense canopies, limited understory vegetation, and areas with leaf litter and bare soil. The landscape matrix surrounding these patches of forested vegetation was dominated by pasture, grassland, and cropland. While these features are similar to previous gray fox habitat assessments in neighboring states, additional research is needed on the gray fox in Kansas due to the paucity of contemporary data on the species.

In Kansas, crappie Pomoxis spp. (White Crappie P. annularis, Black Crappie P. nigromaculatus) fisheries have important social and economic value, making management of these species a high priority. However, management of crappie fisheries is often challenging due to a paucity of information regarding the specific dynamics regulating populations. Even when population dynamics information is available, the relative influence of exogenous factors on crappie populations is poorly understood. To improve the management of crappie fisheries, we sought to: 1) describe White Crappie population dynamic rates throughout Kansas and 2) assess the influence of exogenous factors (i.e. system characteristics and biotic interactions) on the dynamics of White Crappie populations. Annual survey data and associated age data were used to estimate relative abundance, recruitment, individual growth rates, and total annual mortality rates of each White Crappie population. The relationships between system characteristics, fish abundance variables, and White Crappie population dynamics were assessed using principal component analysis and multiple linear regression. In total, 19,874 White Crappie were sampled from 32 impoundments and age was estimated for 3,851 individuals. In general, White Crappie population dynamics were related to a variety of abiotic and biotic characteristics that largely reflected the influence of density-dependent processes. Surface area served as a surrogate for many of the covariates considered and may be useful in guiding management of White Crappie populations. Specifically, large impoundments with high predator abundance will likely support robust crappie fisheries due to density-related improvements in growth. Conversely, impoundments with small surface areas tended to have high densities of crappies and other centrarchid competitors, which resulted in slow growth rates and potentially poor-quality crappie fisheries. Overall, our results highlight the value of dynamics rate functions for understanding the mechanisms underlying White Crappie populations which can be used to improve management of the species.

The Eastern Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is listed as a species in need of conservation in Kansas due to its limited range and infrequent occurrence in the state. While Eastern Newts have been documented in five counties in southeast Kansas, they remain uncommon throughout the region. Our objective was to analyze wetland features that could influence the presence of breeding Eastern Newts in a newly discovered population in Crawford County. We used dip nets to sample 10 locations in each of 12 different wetlands from July 21 to August 8, 2022. We found eight larval Eastern Newt individuals in four of the wetlands. While most characteristics were similar between wetlands with and without Eastern Newts, wetlands with newts had less surrounding grassland cover, lower dissolved oxygen, and no fish. We recommend that future studies assess additional habitat variables, such as plant species richness or invertebrate abundance, which could influence Eastern Newt occurrence. Particularly, more surveys are needed along the Marais des Cygnes and Spring River watersheds to identify a possible source population and the extent of the metapopulation. Understanding the habitat associations and distribution of Eastern Newts at the western edge of their geographic range could be a foundation for future conservation efforts in this region.

Zooplankton abundance, community composition, and size can drive clear-water phases (CWPs) in temperate lakes. CWP events temporarily improve water transparency by decreasing algae, and thus better understanding the mechanisms of CWP events could lead to improvements in water quality. Here, we evaluate how zooplankton abundance, community composition (copepods, cladocerans), and size (only Daphnia) relate to CWPs in three Kansas reservoirs with different trophic states (i.e. mesotrophic, eutrophic, or hypereutrophic). Water transparency was measured using a Secchi disk, whereas zooplankton samples were collected with vertical net hauls throughout the water column, preserved with ethanol, and subsequently analyzed using a stereoscope. Results indicated that CWPs occurred in late Spring/early Summer in all reservoirs. Total zooplankton abundance increased with trophic state, with copepods typically dominating zooplankton communities (>70% of total abundance) in all reservoirs. Copepod abundance had relatively similar temporal trends and decreased with Secchi depth in all reservoirs. In contrast, cladoceran abundance and Daphnia length relations with Secchi depth were dependent on reservoir trophic state. Although cladocerans are widely reported drivers of water transparency, we only found links between abundance and CWPs in the mesotrophic reservoir, indicating that trophic state may alter zooplankton-CWP relationships. Therefore, water quality improvements via zooplankton driven CWPs may be different in relatively low and high trophic state reservoirs.

Large branchiopods are a group of aquatic crustaceans known for possessing hardy resting eggs capable of dispersal between temporary wetland habitats by wind and animal vectors. In this study, we rehydrated dry sediments from bison wallows to assess large branchiopod use of these habitats and potentially the capacity of bison to act as dispersal vectors of cysts. We observed one clam shrimp genus and one tadpole shrimp species in our rehydrated samples, providing strong evidence of large branchiopod establishment in bison-created habitats. We failed to see a relationship between spatial arrangement, bison utilization, and large branchiopod abundance, so future studies are encouraged to assess dispersal capability by bison.

Recent evidence suggests that ultraviolet fluorescence is more widespread among mammals than previously thought. For instance, the presence of fluorescence has been observed in both live and museum specimens of several species of pocket gophers (Family Geomyidae). We examined a live specimen of Baird's pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps) as well as museum specimens from four species of geomyids for evidence of ultraviolet fluorescence. Coverage and intensity of fluorescence was greatest in the live specimen. All museum specimens showed evidence of fluorescence although coverage and intensity decreased with specimen age. Additional research is needed to determine the source and ecological significance of ultraviolet fluorescence in pocket gophers.

Morphological plasticity in response to environmental variation facilitates the persistence of species in multiple habitats. Plastic morphological responses have been reported for a variety of stream fishes moving from lotic streams with shallow and regular flow to lentic ponds with still or standing water, presumably allowing them to succeed in vastly different environments. We collected Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus) from the Flint Hills of Kansas to test for differences in the morphology and diets between stream and pond habitats. We predicted that differences in food resources and life in lentic or lotic habitats would be reflected in their morphology. Relative gut lengths and gut contents of specimens from streams and ponds were hypothesized to be associated with presumed food availability differences in these habitats. In contrast to our prediction, the ratio of gut length to standard length was not different between streams and ponds; however, we also did not find a difference in diet between the two habitats. Body shapes based on geometric morphometric analysis also were not different between habitats. Further investigation into shifts in resource use and a better understanding of the number of generations in which populations have occupied ponds would provide more insight into why we did not find variation in the morphology of these fish between ponds and streams.

The following abstracts of papers and posters were accepted for presentation at the 156^th Annual Meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science