Fish Assemblage of a Cypress Wetland within an Urban Landscape

Fishes were sampled from Gillam Park Wetland, a small cypress swamp located within the city limits of Little Rock, AR during Fall 2005. The objectives of this research were to contribute to our knowledge of understudied wetland habitats in Arkansas, determine the status of the fish community in an urban wetland, and provide baseline data for future monitoring of this unique site. We collected 20 total species from three wetland sections (lower, middle, upper). Although fish community composition varied among the sections, species richness was similar across wetland sections. Fyke nets were more effective at capturing fish along the heavily vegetated and structured shorelines than either seines or funnel traps. The fish community residing in Gillam Park Wetland indicates that this “urban wetland” is functioning and seemingly healthy despite its proximity to anthropogenic impacts. Furthermore, Gillam Park Wetland is located along a major physiogeographic boundary that may play an important role in the distribution and conservation of several swamp specialist species in Arkansas.