Abstract
It is increasingly important to identify unique aquatic ecosystems in the coastal plain lowlands of Arkansas, because of the extensive human-induced alteration of aquatic habitats and loss of fish diversity in that region. Indian Bayou, part of a small (103 km2 ), chute-fed drainage system off the lower White River in Monroe County, Arkansas, has a fish community that is unique among Delta streams in darter (Percidae) species richness. Twenty-five fish samples collected by seine and rotenone from the Indian Bayou drainage system over an 18-year period produced 62 fish species, including 13 darter species. The fish community at one collecting site on the Indian Bayou mainstream remained remarkably stable during the study, and 12 of the darter species were found there between 1971 and 1989. The continued existence of this unique fish assemblage is now threatened by proposals to divert large amounts of water from the White River for agricultural purposes, dredge a wider and deeper navigation channel in the White River, and construct a new interstate highway.
Recommended Citation
Buchanan, Thomas M.
(1997)
"Fish Community of Indian Bayou, A Coastal Plain Stream of Remarkable Species Richness in the Lower White River Drainage of Arkansas,"
Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science: Vol. 51, Article 11.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol51/iss1/11
