MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-113-S-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SKELETON CREEK UT in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/2008 and again in the summer on 6/16/2008.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 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 471 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 45.4 %
Forested Land Use 53.3 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 67 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 8 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.2 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.2 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.2
Conductivity 205 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		206.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 15.8938 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
Pirate Perch 59
Pumpkinseed 35
Eastern Mudminnow 33
Golden Shiner 21
Green Sunfish 14
Bluegill 12
Brown Bullhead 12
Redfin Pickerel 9
American Eel 8
Creek Chubsucker 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Common Five-Lined Skink
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Hops
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 37
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 30
Stegopterna Black Fly 26
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 10
Neoporus 4
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydrobiidae Pebble Snail 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 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.