 Isolation to reduced ranges due to habitat fragmentation can also inhibit gene dispersal, consequently limiting genetic diversity which can lead to reduced fitness of populations.The crystal darter is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN on its Red List because of "a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat".It is also listed as a special concern species by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, as an endangered species by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Department of Conservation, as an extirpated species by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and as a tier 1, or critically impaired, species by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks because of "extreme rarity (five or fewer occurrences or very few remaining individuals or acres) or because of some factor(s) making it vulnerable to extirpation."