Topeka shiner, restoring a
'prairie remnant'

This article first appeared in INHF's Fall 2009 magazine.

by Kraig McPeek

As a fish enthusiast, I’ve always been fascinated by the dynamic ecological relationships between small stream fish and game fish. Ecosystems are much like a giant chain – and only as strong as the weakest link. To have naturally reproducing and healthy populations of game fish, we must have healthy populations of small stream fishes like the Topeka shiner (Notropis topeka).

Topeka shiners in Iowa
The Topeka shiner, now listed as federally endangered, was once found in many streams and rivers throughout Iowa. Seth Meeks’ 1891 report to the U.S. Fish Commission recorded the Topeka shiner in the Des Moines River and its tributaries, the Iowa River (near Amana), the Cedar and Shellrock Rivers (near Waverly), the Big Sioux River (near Sioux City) and the Boyer River (in western Iowa).

From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Bruce Menzel (formerly of Iowa State University) conducted a study to update the known range of the Topeka shiner and create a list of Iowa rivers still supporting the species. Of 614 locations sampled, Menzel found Topeka shiners in only 66 locations, with many sites producing fewer than five individual fish.

According to Menzel’s study, the Topeka shiner’s Iowa range now appears to be limited to the North Raccoon River and its tributaries, with smaller known populations in the Boone, Rock and Little Rock Rivers. The North Raccoon and Boone River populations are nationally significant as they are the only group found within the upper Mississippi River drainage. All others occur within the Missouri River drainage.

Habitat loss
Topeka shiners eat almost anything, from insects to algae particles, so their problem isn’t diet.

Instead, it’s the disappearance of their favorite habitat. Studies conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the University of Minnesota show that Topeka shiners can tolerate higher water temperatures and lower dissolved oxygen levels, the exact conditions found in oxbows.

Oxbows occur along unaltered streams and rivers, which naturally meander into a series of S-shaped curves. Erosion eventually cuts off outside loops from the main stream. These loops become U-shaped ponds, known as oxbows, which reconnect to the stream during high water conditions. However, when streams are straightened and channelized, oxbows disappear—along with dependent species like Topeka shiners.

Partners respond
In 2000 the USFWS, in partnership with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and more than 20 private landowners, began implementing habitat restoration projects for the Topeka shiner. Other partners include the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy. These efforts have focused exclusively on tributaries of the North Raccoon River in Greene, Calhoun and Sac counties.

Between 2001 and 2009, the partners restored the hydrology and habitat in 20 oxbows by excavating silt out of the oxbow. The restoration was designed to complement the landowners’ farming operations.

None of the 20 projects supported aquatic life (from tadpoles to Topeka shiners) before the excavation, but all support fish and other aquatic life today. Sampling in spring of 2009 produced incredible results. Researchers found at least one Topeka shiner in 9 of 10 restored oxbows, including 354 Topeka shiners in one oxbow alone.


Planned responses
Over the next couple of years the USFWS, INHF, private landowners and other conservation partners will restore an additional 30 oxbow habitats throughout the North Raccoon River Watershed, focusing on tributary streams such as the Buttrick, Cedar, Lake, Camp and others. Applying what we have learned from our early projects, future projects are even more likely to support these rare shiners.

The dedicated response of conservation organizations and private landowners has improved the future of this fascinating little fish. If only people like Seth Meeks were here today to see how well Iowa’s towns, agriculture and fish can coexist, as demonstrated in the North Raccoon River watershed.


Topeka shiners and orangespotted Sunfish
The Orangespotted sunfish is much like its relatives, including the Bluegill, Green sunfish, Redear sunfish. However, this particular sunfish species shares a special relationship with the Topeka shiner. Male Orangespotted sunfish, like other sunfishes, carve out nests along the shores of its habitat, spawn with females, and then guard the nest. The male then uses its tail to fan the nest, keeping the eggs free of silt and well oxygenated.

For reasons that are not completely understood, the Topeka shiner actively spawns in unison with Orangespotted sunfish. Topeka shiner eggs are deposited into the sunfish nest and left for the male sunfish to guard and fan. It’s a great deal for the Topekas, but probably not such a great deal for the sunfish.

The Orangespotted sunfish’s less aggressive nature (compared to some of its relatives, i.e. Green sunfish) most likely explains how the relationship began and why it continues. Studies done at the University of Kansas and field observations by this author have confirmed this relationship.

There are many symbiotic relationships found in nature and are categorized as parasitism, mutualism and commensalism.

• Parasitism occurs when one species benefits and the other is either harmed or killed.
• Mutualism occurs when both species benefit in some way. For example birds eat the berries off of bushes and trees, but the trees rely on them to transport their seeds and both the bird and the tree benefit from the interaction.
• Commensalism occurs when there is a benefit to one of the species, but little or no effect on the other.

The relationship between the orangespotted sunfish and the Topeka shiner is likely commensalism and there are little to no effects on the sunfish.

Kraig McPeek is a Private Lands Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.