MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-072-103-97


Located on TARNANS BR in the South River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131003.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/1997 and again in the summer on 7/9/1997.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 948 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 6.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.6 %
Forested Land Use 41.9 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.6
Conductivity 230 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		226.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.9 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 81
Fallfish 60
Rosyside Dace 31
American Eel 10
Tessellated Darter 7
Least Brook Lamprey 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Dusky Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 23
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 14
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 9
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 4
Naididae Aquatic Worm 4
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Simulium Black Fly 3
Caecidotea Isopod 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Odontomesa Non-Biting Midge 1
Culicoides 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 1
Nematomorpha Horsehair Worm 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.