MBSS Site Summary for: COCA-307-N-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site COCA-307-N-2003-815 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site COCA-307-N-2003-816 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site COCA-307-N-2003-819 (Opens in a new window)

Located on HORSEPEN BR in the Potomac River MO Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/14/2003 and again in the summer on 8/7/2003.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.5 / 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 8,296 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 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 51 %
Forested Land Use 44 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 2 meters 		2/20 (Poor)
Shading 93 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.03
Conductivity 244 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		784 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.6 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longear Sunfish 108
Bluegill 68
Eastern Mosquitofish 61
Golden Shiner 58
Pumpkinseed 34
Redbreast Sunfish 34
Spotfin Shiner 32
Bluntnose Minnow 29
Common Carp 12
Eastern Silvery Minnow 11
Channel Catfish 6
Tessellated Darter 6
Goldfish 5
Eastern Mudminnow 4
Largemouth Bass 4
Black Crappie 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Creek Chubsucker 1
Green Sunfish 1
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Spotted Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Crangonyx Amphipod 36
Diptera True Fly 16
Hydrobaenus Midge 8
Tipula Crane Fly 7
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 7
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Glyptotendipes 2
Dolichopodidae Long-Legged Fly 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 1
Pyralidae Snout Moth 1
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Sciomyzidae Marsh Fly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Ormosia Cranefly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Haliplus 1
Hydrochus 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Lepidoptera Aquatic Moth 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 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.