MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-113-S-2014

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2014-Midpointdownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-113-S-2014-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on SKELETON CREEK in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2014 and again in the summer on 6/11/2014.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 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 471 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 40.5 %
Forested Land Use 52.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 14 meters 		3/20 (Poor)
Shading 75 %
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:
pH (lab) 6.2
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		134.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 15.3821 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
Green Sunfish 96
Eastern Mudminnow 31
Pirate Perch 14
American Eel 11
Golden Shiner 5
Lepomis Hybrid 4
Bluegill 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Fowler's Toad
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 87
Stegopterna Black Fly 16
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Gammarus Amphipod 4
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Synurella Amphipod 2
Campeloma 2
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Lymnaeidae Pond Snail 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.