Cretodus is an extinct lamniform shark genus that is known from the Albian–Santonian marine deposits nearly worldwide with three recognized categories: the longiplicatus/emiplicatus-grade, the gigantea/houghtonorum-grade, and the crassidens-grade Cretodus. FHSM VP-19857 is a Cretodus tooth housed in the Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Kansas, USA. It occurred from the upper part of the Fairport Chalk Member (mid-Middle Turonian) of the Carlile Shale in Hamilton County, Kansas. This specimen is significant because it represents the geologically latest occurrence of the longiplicatus/semiplicatus-grade Cretodus in Kansas and further supports the hypothesis that Cretodus (at least members of the longiplicatus/semiplicatus- and gigantea/houghtonorum-grades) preferred nearshore environments.

Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus are one of the most sought-after fish species by anglers in Kansas. Perhaps the most popular Blue Catfish fishery in the state is at Milford Reservoir. One novelty of this population is the seemingly increased prevalence of individuals that display unique coloration patterns (i.e. leucism or piebaldism). To quantify occurrence and gauge angler opinion of leucistic/piebald fish, we paired a fish population sample with on-site angler interviews. Overall, 2,611 Blue Catfish were collected throughout the duration of this study with 359 fish being leucistic/piebald (13.7%). Anglers generally displayed positive sentiment towards leucistic/piebald Blue Catfish along with equal to less harvest probabilities compared to fish with normal coloration. These findings quantify prevalence of leucistic/piebald Blue Catfish in this population and provide social information that may be influential for future management.

Cattail (Typha spp.) expansions into wetlands can reduce open-water habitats and negatively affect native flora and fauna diversity. Cattail removal is needed to maintain wetland quality but removal is often non-permanent requiring repeated treatments to retard reestablishment. Cutting cattails with mechanical harvesters is a common management technique; however, it is unclear what cutting depths are optimal. We conducted a controlled, replicated experiment at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (CBWA), Kansas, USA during 2017-2018 to address this question. We hypothesized cattails cut below water would have reduced gas exchange capabilities due to flooded aerenchyma resulting in greater mortality. We conducted genetic testing in CBWA, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, and identified narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia), which is considered an invasive species in Kansas and is the first known genetic-level confirmation of narrowleaf cattail at CBWA. Within this stand of cattail, we established a randomized complete block design experiment with four blocks, and three clipping treatments in July 2017. Clipping treatments included a control (no cattails clipped), an above-water treatment (cattails cut 15 cm above water surface) and a below-water treatment (cattails cut 15 cm below water surface). We quantified emergent stem densities in each plot in September 2017 to assess the effectiveness of simulated management actions. Mean stem densities were greatest in the control (113.0±10.7 stems). Clipping the cattails resulted in significantly fewer stem counts in both the above-water cutting treatment (44.1±10.7, P = 0.0032) and in the below-water cutting treatment blocks (11.1±12.5, P = 0.0004). The below-water treatment had fewer stems than the above-water treatment, though not statistically significant (P = 0.0789). Our experiment was inadvertently destroyed with herbicides in 2019 preventing further comparisons. Our results suggest that management efforts focused on cutting cattails below water can reduce cattail growth.

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus support recreational fisheries across their geographic distribution. Harvest has historically been liberally regulated although research over the last 40 years has demonstrated favorable population response to more restrictive harvest. Bluegill fisheries in Kansas have commonly been unregulated but interest in developing quality fisheries prompted initiation of a 152-mm to 229-mm protected-slot length limit on Lepomis spp. in four small impoundments. These four regulated populations were examined with four control (i.e. no harvest restrictions) populations for patterns in relative abundance of quality-length fish (≥ 152 mm), length structure, and annual mortality pre-regulation and post-regulation. We observed no discernible population-level patterns in response to initiation of the harvest regulation. These findings suggest that the protected-slot length limit was ineffective at restructuring populations. Other actions (e.g., reduced creel limits, temporal or areal closures) should be considered if attempting to restructure Bluegill populations through harvest regulation. Alternatively, managers could explore non-regulatory actions (e.g., supplemental feeding, renovation) to elicit restructuring of Bluegill populations.

Human-developed antibiotics have been found in most aquatic ecosystems. They are entering natural ecosystems by a variety of means and are almost ubiquitous in all but the most pristine and isolated watersheds. Much more attention has been paid to effects of widespread antibiotics feeding back to human populations in comparison to natural ecosystems. This study explored the direct toxicological effect of chlortetracycline (CTC) on a keystone species of temporary wetlands, the tadpole shrimp (Triops spp.). Tadpole shrimp are commonly found in western Great Plains temporary wetlands, rock pools, and artificial waterbodies. CTC was administered in a 14-day static, chronic exposure test at CTC concentrations of 0 µg/L, 0.1 µg/L, 1 µg/L, 10 µg/L, and 100 µg/L. Chronic CTC exposure seemingly had no effect on tadpole shrimp in this study. Tadpole shrimp hatched and survived at similar rates across all treatments. Additionally, there were no differences found in fecundity across all treatments. The only difference detected was a smaller average body size (approximately 45% smaller) in the 100 µg/L treatment. We then determined what would be required to make a realistically sized wetland have a CTC concentration of 100 µg/L, the maximum concentration in our study. We found that the quantities of chlortetracycline needed to create and maintain the concentrations tested in this study are quite feasible to obtain in a realistic, natural environment. While we tested for direct effects of CTC on shrimp themselves, we did not explore how CTC impacts behavior or could indirectly affect tadpole shrimp through other cohabitating organisms.

The Hartland Shale of the Greenhorn Limestone is a geologic unit broadly distributed in north-central Kansas, that formed in the Western Interior Seaway, a Late Cretaceous epicontinental seaway in North America. Previously, the vertebrate fossil record of the Hartland Shale of Kansas was confined only to a tooth of the extinct lamniform shark Cretoxyrhina mantelli and skeletal remains of a plesiosaur, besides taxonomically uninformative bones and teeth of bony fishes. In this study, we describe 18 vertebrate taxa from the Hartland Shale in Republic County, Kansas, comprising five chondrichthyans (including C. mantelli), 12 osteichthyan fishes, and one reptilian taxon. These newly collected materials, which are dated approximately 93.95 million years ago around the Cenomanian-Turonian transition, provide new insights into the marine ecosystem and environmental conditions during the deposition of the Hartland Shale in Kansas.

Arid-adapted anurans are difficult to study due to short active seasons and cryptic lifestyles, but these anurans might be particularly susceptible to population declines as climate change continues. Therefore, understanding the habitat associations of these anurans is essential to implement effective conservation practices. One such arid-adapted species is the Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus; RST), a Kansas Species in Need of Conservation. Since this designation in 1987, little research has been conducted to understand their conservation needs. In June and July 2022, we tracked 15 RST using radio-telemetry in the Red Hills Physiographic region (Comanche County, Kansas). Because traditional very high frequency (VHF) telemetry can be time consuming and labor intensive, we streamlined the telemetry process using digital telemetry tags. We also created a receiver grid for remote telemetry and compared the results to our manually obtained locations. In Kansas, RST primarily use gypsum outcrops and cliff faces. The results of this study increase our understanding of the habitat associations of RST and provide insights and recommendations for their conservation. Our study also demonstrates some of the benefits, challenges, and limits of developing radio-telemetry techniques.