MBSS Site Summary for: TRAN-219-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TRAN-219-R-2004-1 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CHICAMACOMICO R 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 7/1/2004.

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 Good - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 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 6,191 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 64 %
Forested Land Use 30 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
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 16.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.31
Conductivity 84 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		77.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 162
Least Brook Lamprey 117
Pirate Perch 100
Eastern Mudminnow 34
Redfin Pickerel 17
Bluegill 9
Chain Pickerel 7
Tadpole Madtom 6
Creek Chubsucker 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 40
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 11
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 9
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 8
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 5
Sialis Alderfly 3
Calopteryx Damselfly 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Mystacides 2
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 2
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Apsectrotanypus Non-Biting Midges 1
Cryptochironomus 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.