MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-064-328-97


Located on LITTLE MONOCACY R in the Potomac River MO Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/1997 and again in the summer on 7/7/1997.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 10,827 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 0.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 60.4 %
Forested Land Use 38.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.28
Conductivity 125 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		608.8 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. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 17 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Central Stoneroller 144
Potomac Sculpin 104
Blue Ridge Sculpin 98
Longnose Dace 86
White Sucker 85
Bluntnose Minnow 83
Blacknose Dace 80
Silverjaw Minnow 39
Fantail Darter 19
Creek Chub 13
Redbreast Sunfish 9
Spotfin Shiner 8
Green Sunfish 7
Creek Chubsucker 5
Pumpkinseed 4
Greenside Darter 2
Tessellated Darter 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 25
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 18
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 15
Simulium Black Fly 11
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 9
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Leuctridae Rolledwinged Stonefly 1
Amphipoda Scud 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 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.