MBSS Site Summary for: WYER-201-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-201-R-2003-0919 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-201-R-2003-0920 (Opens in a new window)

Located on WYE EAST R UT1 in the Wye River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130503.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/24/2003 and again in the summer on 7/21/2003.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
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 2,199 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 58 %
Forested Land Use 39 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 90 %
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 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.21
Conductivity 279 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		586.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 11.5 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 53
Redfin Pickerel 48
Pirate Perch 35
American Eel 30
Tessellated Darter 20
Creek Chubsucker 16
Bluegill 12
Golden Shiner 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green 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
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 42
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 15
Prosimulium Black Fly 13
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 10
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 7
Musculium Fingernail Clam 7
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 7
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Diptera True Fly 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Pseudorthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Planorbella 1
Ormosia Cranefly 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.