MBSS Site Summary for: MARS-211-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-211-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-211-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-211-R-2002-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-211-R-2002-4 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MARS-211-R-2002-5 (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 3/19/2002 and again in the summer on 6/25/2002.

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 - 1.8 / 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 12,757 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 17 %
Agricultural Land Use 70 %
Forested Land Use 12 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.12
Conductivity 650 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		5336 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.7 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 587
Fantail Darter 224
White Sucker 104
Blacknose Dace 41
Greenside Darter 10
Bluegill 8
Largemouth Bass 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Lirceus Isopod 46
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 16
Orthocladiinae Midge 8
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 6
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 2
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 1
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 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.