MBSS Site Summary for: LICK-125-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LICK-125-R-2003-0870 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LICK-125-R-2003-0871 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LICK-125-R-2003-0872 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT NORTH EAST BRANCH in the Little Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130402.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/17/2003 and again in the summer on 7/16/2003.

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 Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 181 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 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 56 %
Forested Land Use 37 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
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 22.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.96
Conductivity 182 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		192.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.8 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Fowler's Toad
Northern Black Racer

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 43
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 20
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 16
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 14
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 8
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 4
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Cura Flatworm 1
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
Hydrobius Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Polypedilum 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.