MBSS Site Summary for: LOPC-109-R-2002

Site Photos

Located on PUNCHEON LANDING BR in the Lower Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2002 and again in the summer on 6/4/2002.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 353 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 4 %
Agricultural Land Use 32 %
Forested Land Use 63 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 74 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 1 meters 		1/20 (Poor)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.8 ° 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) 6.31
Conductivity 430 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		331.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9.3 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
Eastern Mudminnow 152
Pumpkinseed 108
Redfin Pickerel 30
Pirate Perch 23
Golden Shiner 21
Brown Bullhead 17
Creek Chubsucker 6
American Eel 3
Bluegill 2
Chain Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 16
Crangonyx Amphipod 14
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 12
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 11
Corixidae Water Boatman 8
Synurella Amphipod 5
Probezzia Biting Midges 4
Naididae Aquatic Worm 3
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 3
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Culicoides 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.