Effects of Extreme Drought on Fishes of a Great Plains River

I sampled fishes of the Wichita River, Texas, a tributary of the Red River, over a several year period centered on 2011.  In that year, the Wichita River, a highly fragmented system, experienced record drought.  During that drought fish were restricted to isolated stream-bed pools for several months.  No species was lost during this period, however, there were local extirpations of several species.  Recovery of the fish assemblage was slow, but required recolonization from adjacent tributaries. Further fragmentation, as part of proposed water development projects, likely would preclude post-drought recolonization.