Effects of Factors Related to Landscape Use and Climate Change on the Survival, Development, and Buoyancy of the Early Life History Stages of Arkansas River Shiner

Arkansas River shiner (ARS) Notropis girardi, a federally threatened species is a small cyprinid native to rivers in the Great Plains ecoregion. It is a member of a reproductive guild of pelagic-spawning cyprinids inhabiting the rivers of the Great Plains. This species releases non-adhesive, semi-buoyant eggs during an extended spawning season. These semi-buoyant eggs require substantial lengths of free-flowing rivers to complete development. Populations of ARS and other members of this guild have declined in response to habitat fragmentation. Whereas fragmentation is likely the primary factor in the decline of ARS environmental factors such as temperature, conductivity, suspended solids, flow, and channel geomorphology have the potential to influence egg buoyancy and developmental rate. These factors may influence habitat requirements, such as stream fragment length and minimum current velocities, as well as hatching success of these cyprinids. We used a full factorial experimental design to assess the effects of temperature, total dissolved solids, and total suspended solids on the buoyancy, developmental rate, and survival of the eggs and larva of ARS. These findings will aid in the identification of areas that can successfully support successful reproduction in pelagic-spawning cyprinids and prediction of how further anthropogenic disturbances may affect these habitats.