Guild for Monitoring and Evaluating Fish Communities in Bottomland Hardwood Wetlands.

摘要

Documentation and ecological classification of fishes found in flooded wetlands are necessary to establish guidelines for evaluation and protection of these habitats. This paper summarizes adult and larval fish collections in the Rex Hancock/Black Swamp Wildlife Management Area, Cache River system, Arkansas, and classifies the fish community according to habitat preferences and modes of reproduction into a reproductive guild of fishes. This guild can serve as a basis in the selection of and evaluation of fish species for monitoring studies. The Cache River originates just north of the Arkansas- Missouri state line and is part of the White River drainage. The basin covers approximately 2,018 square miles and is 143 miles long with a maximum width of 18 miles. The river flows 203 miles to its confluence with the White River near Clarendon, Arkansas. The river meanders across the floodplain, creating numerous cutoffs and side channels. In the vicinity of the study area, the forested floodplain ranges from 1 to 2 miles in width. Extensive areas of cypress-tupelo occur. As with many southeastern streams, flooding occurs by lateral expansion of the river onto the floodplain (Ross and Baker 1983). Flooding typically occurs from late February through May with intervening periods of drought and inundation of the floodplain. Water depths on the floodplain range from a few inches to more than 5 ft. Fishes were collected from 1987 through 1989 in the river channel and floodplain of a fourth order reach of the Cache River. Four types of gear were used to sample juvenile and adult fishes: gill nets, hoop nets, seines, and a boat electroshocker. Larval fish were sampled regularly with three gears: tow net, light trap, and diaphragm pump.