MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-112-X-2013

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-112-X-2013-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-112-X-2013-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on DAVIS BRANCH in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/2013 and again in the summer on 7/11/2013.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 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 1,094 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 30.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 43.6 %
Forested Land Use 25 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 33 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 10 %


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 359
Longnose Dace 83
Blacknose Dace 50
White Sucker 31
Creek Chub 14
Central Stoneroller 13
American Eel 4
Rosyside Dace 4
Yellow Bullhead 3
Bluegill 2
Rock Bass 2
Cutlip Minnow 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Water Snake

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Stiltgrass
Wavyleaf Basketgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 30
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 11
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 7
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 4
Tipula Crane Fly 3
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
EPHEMERELLIDAE Spiny Crawler Mayfly 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Limonia 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 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.