MBSS Site Summary for: MPAX-104-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MPAX-104-R-2016_Midpoint looking downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MPAX-104-R-2016_Midpoint looking upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Middle Patuxent River in the Middle Patuxent River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131106.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/8/2016 and again in the summer on 7/5/2016.

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 Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 81 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 14.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 79.5 %
Forested Land Use 5.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 50 %
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:
pH (lab) 7.08
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		614.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2713 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 5
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 21
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 11
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 9
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 7
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 7
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 6
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 6
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 5
Tipula Crane Fly 5
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 3
Molophilus 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 2
Microvelia Small Water Strider Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Molanna 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Prodiamesa 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Parakiefferiella 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.