MBSS Site Summary for: CORS-109-X-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-109-X-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-109-X-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Gravel Run in the Corsica River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130507.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/2009 and again in the summer on 6/2/2009.

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 Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 961 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 84 %
Forested Land Use 12 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 58 meters
7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters
11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 50 %
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 17.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.18
Conductivity 236 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
1013.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.9664 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 129
Eastern Mudminnow 56
Least Brook Lamprey 13
American Eel 11
Pirate Perch 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:

Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:

Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 12
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 10
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 9
Gammarus Amphipod 8
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 6
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 4
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 3
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 3
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Cladotanytarsus Non-Biting Midge 2
Parachaetocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Neoporus 1
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 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.