MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-113-S-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2004-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2004-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SKELETON CR in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/22/2004 and again in the summer on 6/15/2004.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 441 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 47.2 %
Forested Land Use 51.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.3 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.3 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.31
Conductivity 192 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		198.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 14.9 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
Eastern Mudminnow 53
Redfin Pickerel 52
Pirate Perch 10
Creek Chubsucker 9
Brown Bullhead 7
American Eel 6
Pumpkinseed 3
Bluegill 2
Golden Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 64
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Caecidotea Isopod 6
Gammarus Amphipod 5
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Synurella Amphipod 2
Cnephia Black Fly 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Campeloma 1
Ranatra 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 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.