MBSS Site Summary for: TA-N-035-105-96


Located on TUCKAHOE CR UT2 in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130405.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/1996 and again in the summer on 9/16/1996.

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 - 2.4 / 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 1,823 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 6 %
Agricultural Land Use 64.3 %
Forested Land Use 29.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.51
Conductivity 358 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		377.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.8 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 114
Tessellated Darter 52
Redfin Pickerel 37
Creek Chubsucker 35
Fallfish 26
Pumpkinseed 11
Pirate Perch 9
American Eel 5
Bluegill 5
Least Brook Lamprey 3
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 31
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 21
Prosimulium Black Fly 17
Stegopterna Black Fly 16
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 7
Hydrobaenus Midge 7
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 4
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Corixidae Water Boatman 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 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.