MBSS Site Summary for: LIGU-103-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-103-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-103-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on YELLOW BRANCH in the Little Gunpowder Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130804.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2008 and again in the summer on 6/30/2008.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 742 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 1.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 70.9 %
Forested Land Use 27.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 54 meters
13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 21 meters
9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 17.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.92
Conductivity 204 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
903.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5826 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 335
Creek Chub 165
Rosyside Dace 154
White Sucker 42
Tessellated Darter 28
American Eel 5
Cutlip Minnow 5
Longnose Dace 4
Swallowtail Shiner 3
Common Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:

Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:

Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 41
Prosimulium Black Fly 15
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 6
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 5
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 5
Anchytarsus Beetle 5
Antocha Crane Fly 3
Simulium Black Fly 3
Eurylophella Mayfly 3
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 2
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Psephenus Water Penny 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 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.