MBSS Site Summary for: LPAX-206-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-206-R-2000-08_04 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-206-R-2000-08_05 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-206-R-2000-08_06 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-206-R-2000-08_07 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-206-R-2000-08_08 (Opens in a new window)

Located on TOWSERS BR in the Little Patuxent River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131105.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/16/2000 and again in the summer on 7/12/2000.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,789 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 24.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 46.2 %
Forested Land Use 26.1 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters
15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters
11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 93 %
Embeddedness 42 %


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 18.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.82
Conductivity 200 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
610.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 68
Tessellated Darter 40
Rosyside Dace 35
Green Sunfish 34
Blacknose Dace 29
Fallfish 14
Largemouth Bass 14
Bluegill 13
Eastern Mudminnow 10
Creek Chub 7
American Eel 4
Sea Lamprey 2
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

American Bullfrog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:

No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:

Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 23
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 20
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 14
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 13
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 8
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Endochironomus 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Collembola Springtail 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.