MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-122-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-122-R-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-122-R-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on ROBINS 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 9/14/2000.

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 Poor - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 582 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 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 78.2 %
Forested Land Use 21.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 74 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 2 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 92 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 0.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (0.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.49
Conductivity 150 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		277.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 13.4 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 145
Pirate Perch 11
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 61
Naididae Aquatic Worm 23
Amphipoda Scud 20
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 7
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 7
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 6
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Culicoides 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 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.