“…Previous research has elucidated the influence of environmental characteristics (i.e., connectivity, depth, size, dissolved oxygen concentration, turbidity and water temperature) on ecosystem processes and structure of fish assemblages in oxbow lakes (Winemiller, Tarim, Shormann, & Cotner, 2000;Penczak et al, 2004;Miranda, 2005;Zeug, Winemiller, & Tarim, 2005;Miyazono, Aycock, Miranda, & Tietjen, 2010). Younger oxbow lakes have characteristics that facilitate exchange of nutrients and biota during flood pulses; they are often close to the main river channel and have relatively high connectivity and greater depth, attributes associated with higher fish species richness and abundance (Winemiller et al, 2000;Miranda, 2005;Zeug et al, 2005;Goetz, Miranda, Kröger, & Andrews, 2015). As oxbow lakes age, annual flood events and channel migration often lead to shallow, isolated waterbodies with physicochemical conditions (e.g., low dissolved oxygen and high temperatures) (Winemiller et al, 2000;Penczak et al, 2004) that adversely affect fish survival and lower fish richness and abundance.…”