MBSS Site Summary for: UPCK-302-A-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-302-A-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCK-302-A-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on FOWLING CREEK in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/21/2008 and again in the summer on 7/16/2008.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.9 / 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 3,503 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 2.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 71.9 %
Forested Land Use 23.4 %


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 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 3 meters 		1/20 (Poor)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 75 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 75%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.49
Conductivity 227 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		586.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.2509 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 70
Pirate Perch 59
Largemouth Bass 52
Eastern Mudminnow 44
Tessellated Darter 42
Tadpole Madtom 26
Bluegill 19
Yellow Bullhead 10
Golden Shiner 6
Banded Killifish 5
Chain Pickerel 2
Pumpkinseed 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Privet
Vinca Vine
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Synurella Amphipod 15
Caecidotea Isopod 13
Larsia Non-Biting Midge 9
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 6
Musculium Fingernail Clam 5
Bezzia Biting Midge 5
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 5
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 4
Neoporus 4
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 3
Amphipoda Scud 2
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Erythemis 2
Caenis Mayfly 2
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Odontomyia 1
Prodiamesa 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydrobius Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 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.