MBSS Site Summary for: TA-N-053-201-96


Located on BEAVERDAM BR in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/1996 and again in the summer on 9/18/1996.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 604 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 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 85.6 %
Forested Land Use 12.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.67
Conductivity 192 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		291.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.7 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 77
Eastern Mudminnow 67
Pirate Perch 11
American Eel 8
Creek Chubsucker 5
Pumpkinseed 5
Redfin Pickerel 4
Redbreast Sunfish 3
Tadpole Madtom 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 65
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 8
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 7
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 7
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Ostrocerca Stonefly 5
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Deronectes 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 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.