MBSS Site Summary for: DEER-102-X-2011

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site DEER-102-X-2011-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site DEER-102-X-2011-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CATTAIL BRANCH in the Deer Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/14/2011 and again in the summer on 6/8/2011.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 937 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 10.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 44.7 %
Forested Land Use 42.7 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 47 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 36 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.11
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		251.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4255 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 175
Rosyside Dace 99
Creek Chub 80
Blue Ridge Sculpin 45
American Eel 37
Cutlip Minnow 19
White Sucker 10
Tessellated Darter 8
Fallfish 3
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 32
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 15
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 10
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 7
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
NEMOURIDAE Nemourid Stonefly 3
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Stilocladius Midge 1
Helichus Beetle 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 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.