MBSS Site Summary for: PAXL-104-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-104-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-104-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT PERSIMMON CREEK in the Patuxent River lower watershed, 8-digit code: 02131101.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/3/2008 and again in the summer on 6/3/2008.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 87 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 34.9 %
Forested Land Use 59.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 20 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
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:
Water temperature 15.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.55
Conductivity 107 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		21.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.7646 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 25
Least Brook Lamprey 15
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 21
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 11
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 8
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 7
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 6
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 6
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 6
Limnodrilus Worm 5
Hexatoma Crane Fly 4
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 4
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Bittacomorpha 1
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Culicidae Mosquitoe 1
Odontomesa Non-Biting Midge 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Eccoptura Yellow Stone 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.