MBSS Site Summary for: CORS-125-X-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-125-X-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-125-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 6/23/2009.

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 Fair - 3.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,395 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 7 %
Agricultural Land Use 80 %
Forested Land Use 11 %


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 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 70 %
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 23.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.24
Conductivity 249 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1085.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.2699 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 505
Mummichog 64
Eastern Mosquitofish 34
American Eel 28
Green Sunfish 28
Redbreast Sunfish 20
Banded Killifish 19
Creek Chubsucker 10
Eastern Mudminnow 5
Golden Shiner 3
Largemouth Bass 2
Bluegill 1
Brown Bullhead 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Porcelainberry
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Eurylophella Mayfly 21
Hydrobaenus Midge 14
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 13
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 9
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 8
Orthocladiinae Midge 6
Gammarus Amphipod 4
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 4
Corixidae Water Boatman 3
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 2
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Collembola Springtail 1
Curculionidae Weevil 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Ischnura 1
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.