MBSS Site Summary for: TRAN-108-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TRAN-108-R-2004-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site TRAN-108-R-2004-1 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CHICAMACOMICO R UT 3 in the Transquaking River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130308.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/23/2004 and again in the summer on 6/7/2004.

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 Poor - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 254 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 51 %
Forested Land Use 42 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 37 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 48 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 86 %
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 17.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.84
Conductivity 58 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		86.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.5 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 85
Pirate Perch 28
American Eel 5
Redfin Pickerel 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Synurella Amphipod 38
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 10
Crangonyctidae Scud 9
Caecidotea Isopod 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 4
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Tropisternus Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Paracladopelma Non-Biting Midge 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Cura Flatworm 1
Platycentropus 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 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.