MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-108-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-108-R-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-108-R-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MILES CR UT1 in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/5/2000 and again in the summer on 7/31/2000.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 888 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 5.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 83.5 %
Forested Land Use 10.9 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 35 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 39 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 90 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 90%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.1
Conductivity 230 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		689.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.4 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 75
Bluegill 57
Tessellated Darter 34
American Eel 11
Pirate Perch 6
Tadpole Madtom 5
Largemouth Bass 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Mile-A-Minute
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Amphipoda Scud 20
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 12
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 8
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 7
Gammarus Amphipod 6
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 5
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 5
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 4
Caecidotea Isopod 4
Musculium Fingernail Clam 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 2
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 1
Helichus Beetle 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Paramerina Non-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.