MBSS Site Summary for: PTOB-112-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PTOB-112-R-2003-721 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PTOB-112-R-2003-722 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PORT TOBACCO CR UT1 in the Port Tobacco River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140109.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/20/2003 and again in the summer on 6/30/2003.

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.
Fish IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 532 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 51 %
Agricultural Land Use 14 %
Forested Land Use 34 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 48 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 33 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.09
Conductivity 514 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		744.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 12
American Eel 7
Eastern Mosquitofish 6
Tessellated Darter 5
Blacknose Dace 4
Banded Killifish 1
Eastern Mudminnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 30
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 13
Mooreobdella 12
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Chrysogaster 2
Tipulidae Cranefly 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Collembola Springtail 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Copelatus 1
Promenetus 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 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.