Centrarchid Assemblages in Floodplain Lakes of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

The family Centrarchidae is a principal and visible component of the ichthyofauna in most warmwater ecosystems in North America, and many of its species provide key recreational fisheries. We examined the significance of various local environmental factors to 13 centrarchid species in 53 floodplain lakes (remnant channels) of the Mississippi alluvial valley to identify major environmental gradients influential in structuring centrarchid assemblages. With few exceptions, changes in forest representation in the land cover, both in the lakeshore and the catchment, had the strongest associations with centrarchid assemblages. Other influential factors included depth, water clarity, and primary productivity. Connectivity to adjacent streams was weakly correlated with centrarchid assemblage structure and correlated only with a small number of species. Lake area did not appear to affect centrarchid assemblages. Recognition that land cover has the strongest correlation with centrarchid assemblage composition suggests a landscape basis for developing management plans. However, conservation and restoration of native centrarchid assemblages in these unique ecosystems will require both watershed management to curtail inputs and in‐lake management to reverse years of neglect.