MBSS Site Summary for: UPPC-106-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-106-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-106-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on TIMMONS BRANCH in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/13/2015 and again in the summer on 7/13/2015.

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 895 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 10.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 79.3 %
Forested Land Use 9.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 62 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 13 meters 		2/20 (Poor)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.23
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		304.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 10.4701 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 26
Pirate Perch 10
Redfin Pickerel 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern Ratsnake
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper

Crayfish:
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 66
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 9
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 5
Caecidotea Isopod 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Neoporous Predaceous Diving Beetle 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Isotomidae Springtail 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Erioptera Cranefly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Paraphaenocladius 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.