MBSS Site Summary for: LMON-495-B-2012

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-495-B-2012-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-495-B-2012-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on LINGANORE CREEK in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2012 and again in the summer on 8/9/2012.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 26,681 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 9.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 56.9 %
Forested Land Use 32.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 49 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 52 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.88
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1010 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2371 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 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 450
Longnose Dace 186
Potomac Sculpin 140
Blacknose Dace 89
Greenside Darter 83
Fantail Darter 61
Spotfin Shiner 47
Northern Hogsucker 38
Central Stoneroller 37
Bluntnose Minnow 18
White Sucker 14
Yellow Bullhead 12
Smallmouth Bass 9
Creek Chub 6
Cutlip Minnow 6
Spottail Shiner 3
Silverjaw Minnow 2
Common Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 33
Stenelmis Beetle 20
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 8
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 8
Psephenus Water Penny 6
Neophylax Caddisfly 6
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Simulium Black Fly 3
Diamesa Bloodworm 3
EMPIDIDAE Dance Fly 2
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Serratella Mayfly 2
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 2
Ostrocerca Stonefly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
DIAMESINAE Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 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.