MBSS Site Summary for: WYER-105-R-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-105-R-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-105-R-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Wye East River UT1 in the Wye River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130503.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2007 and again in the summer on 8/16/2007.

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 Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 542 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 1.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 64.3 %
Forested Land Use 33.3 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 2/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 67 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 9 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
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 22.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.2 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.2 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.07
Conductivity 289 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		722.995 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 10.813 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
Eastern Mudminnow 24
Tessellated Darter 15
Pirate Perch 8
Redfin Pickerel 8
Creek Chubsucker 4
Bluegill 3
American Eel 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Broad-Headed Skink
Eastern Gartersnake
Eastern Ratsnake
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 27
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 12
Prosimulium Black Fly 9
Stegopterna Black Fly 9
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 7
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 7
Gammarus Amphipod 4
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Stygobromus Amphipod 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 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.