MBSS Site Summary for: ZEKI-202-R-2015


Located on ZEKIAH SWAMP RUN in the Zekiah Swamp watershed, 8-digit code: 02140108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2015 and again in the summer on 6/11/2015.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,581 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 8.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 13.1 %
Forested Land Use 72.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 18/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 21 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.47
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		100.35 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.9168 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 23
Eastern Mudminnow 21
Bluegill 13
Tessellated Darter 10
Redfin Pickerel 7
Tadpole Madtom 4
Margined Madtom 3
Largemouth Bass 2
Fallfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Water Snake
Stinkpot

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 57
Stegopterna Black Fly 23
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 10
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 7
Parachaetocladius Non-Biting Midge 5
Synurella Amphipod 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 2
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 2
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 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.