MBSS Site Summary for: MICR-112-R-2003
Located on RADCLIFFE CR UT1 in the Middle Chester River watershed,
8-digit code: 02130509.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/1/2003 and again in the summer on 6/17/2003.
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.
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Fish IBI
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Good - 4.0 / 5.0
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Benthic IBI
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Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
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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.)
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Catchment area
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592 acres
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Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
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Urban Land Use
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0 %
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Agricultural Land Use
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87 %
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Forested Land Use
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10 %
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An example of woody debris in a stream.
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Physical Stream Habitat
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Instream Habitat
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16/20 (Optimal)
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Epifaunal Substrate
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17/20 (Optimal)
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Velocity/Depth Diversity
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14/20 (Suboptimal)
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Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 54 meters
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13/20 (Suboptimal)
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Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 21 meters
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16/20 (Optimal)
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Shading
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20 % |
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Embeddedness
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100 % |
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The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is
very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
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Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.
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Stream Water Quality:
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| Water temperature |
18.1 ° C
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| Dissolved oxygen (DO) |
6.4 mg/L
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| pH (lab) |
7.02 |
| Conductivity |
170 µmho/cm
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Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
|
490.2 µeq/L |
| Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) |
4 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.
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| American Bullfrog |
| Fowler's Toad |
| Northern Watersnake |
| Pickerel Frog |
| Common Reed (Phragmites) |
| Japanese Honeysuckle |
| Multiflora Rose |
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Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
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| Genus/Family |
Common Name |
Count |
| Polypedilum |
Non-Biting Midges
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34 |
| Thienemannimyia group |
Non-Biting Midges
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13 |
| Dubiraphia |
Riffle Beetle
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9 |
| Chaetocladius |
Non-Biting Midges
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9 |
| Orthocladius |
Non-Biting Midges
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5 |
| Gammarus |
Amphipod
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5 |
| Simulium |
Black Fly
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5 |
| Rheosmittia |
Non-Biting Midges
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5 |
| Paratanytarsus |
Non-Biting Midges
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3 |
| Macronychus |
Riffle Beetle
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3 |
| Stenochironomus |
European Non-Biting Midge
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3 |
| Conchapelopia |
Non-Biting Midges
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2 |
| Naididae |
Aquatic Worm
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2 |
| Parachironomus |
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2 |
| Physa |
Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail
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2 |
| Nanocladius |
Non-Biting Midges
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2 |
| Phaenopsectra |
Non-Biting Midges
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2 |
| Rheocricotopus |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Tanypodinae |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Tanytarsus |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Elmidae |
Riffle Beetle
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1 |
| Ancyronyx |
Spider Riffle Beetle
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1 |
| Enchytraeidae |
Aquatic Worm
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1 |
| Tubificidae |
Aquatic Worm
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1 |
| Stenelmis |
Beetle
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1 |
| Peltodytes |
Crawling Water Beetle
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1 |
| Calopteryx |
Damselfly
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1 |
| Dicrotendipes |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Parametriocnemus |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Gordiidae |
Horsehair Worm
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1 |
| Caenis |
Mayfly
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1 |
| Viviparidae |
Mystery Snail
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1 |
| Coenagrionidae |
Narrowwinged Damselfly
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1 |
Sampling with a kick net.
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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.
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