MBSS Site Summary for: MARS-205-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-205-R-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-205-R-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MARSH RUN in the Marsh Run watershed, 8-digit code: 02140503.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2000 and again in the summer on 7/7/2000.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 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 10,333 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 9.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 76.8 %
Forested Land Use 13.4 %


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 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 25 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 55 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 15 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 13 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.07
Conductivity 250 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		6024 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 41
White Sucker 38
Fantail Darter 23
Blacknose Dace 2
Greenside Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Lirceus Isopod 27
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 20
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 18
Stenelmis Beetle 14
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Parachironomus 1
Cnephia Black Fly 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 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.