MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-203-R-2014

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-203-R-2014-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-203-R-2014-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on BEAVERDAM BRANCH 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 6/23/2014.

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 N R
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,612 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 5.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.8 %
Forested Land Use 30.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat not sampled
Epifaunal Substrate not sampled
Velocity/Depth Diversity not sampled
Pool Quality not sampled
Riffle Quality not sampled
Shading not sampled
Embeddedness not sampled


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.07
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		373.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 7.6041 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:
Fish data is unavailable or no fish observed.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
New Jersey Chorus 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
Prosimulium Black Fly 96
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 13
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 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.