MBSS Site Summary for: TUCK-115-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TUCK-115-R-2017-MidpointFacingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site TUCK-115-R-2017-MidpointFacingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT2 Mason Branch in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130405.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/25/2017 and again in the summer on 7/12/2017.

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 - 4.3 / 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 549 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 7.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 84.2 %
Forested Land Use 8.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 51 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 8 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.56
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		534.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.4716 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chubsucker 616
Eastern Mudminnow 346
Pirate Perch 227
Tessellated Darter 6
Bluespotted Sunfish 4
Tadpole Madtom 4
American Eel 1
Chain Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus sp.

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
CAECIDOTEA Isopod 86
PHYSA Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 10
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 4
PARAMERINA Non-Biting Midge 3
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 1
GLOSSIPHONIIDAE Leech 1
SYNURELLA Amphipod 1
CERATOPOGONIDAE Biting Midge 1
PELTODYTES Crawling Water Beetle 1
NEOPOROUS Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
LUMBRICULIDAE Worm 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.