MBSS Site Summary for: LPAX-311-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-311-R-2000-09_04 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LPAX-311-R-2000-09_05 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LITTLE PATUXENT R 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 7/11/2000.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 19,696 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 28 %
Agricultural Land Use 38.4 %
Forested Land Use 33.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 87 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.74
Conductivity 350 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1412 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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
Fallfish 75
White Sucker 19
Swallowtail Shiner 13
Tessellated Darter 13
Satinfin Shiner 6
American Eel 3
Blacknose Dace 3
Longnose Dace 2
Creek Chub 1
Cutlip Minnow 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Northern Hogsucker 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 50
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 17
Hydrobaenus Midge 12
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 3
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 3
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 2
Corbicula Basket Clam 2
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Macromia 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.