MBSS Site Summary for: LPAX-103-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-103-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-103-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Hammond Branch in the Little Patuxent River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131105.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/2009 and again in the summer on 6/25/2009.

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 1,680 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 8.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 77.4 %
Forested Land Use 12.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 9 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 45 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.22
Conductivity 204 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		571.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5434 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Rosyside Dace 236
Tessellated Darter 109
Blacknose Dace 101
White Sucker 38
Swallowtail Shiner 34
Redbreast Sunfish 26
Longnose Dace 24
Cutlip Minnow 13
Creek Chub 8
Creek Chubsucker 7
American Eel 5
Satinfin Shiner 4
Eastern Mudminnow 3
Fallfish 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 42
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 7
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 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.