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 Maine Department of Environmental Protection
 Biological Monitoring Program
 Stream Algae Report

Site Information
Name: Middle Branch Pleasant River - Station 667 Sampled by: Biomonitoring Unit
Town: Ebeemee Twp Method: Rock Scrapings 1 Inch Circles
Biomonitoring Basin Penobscot And Downeast Sample ID: SA-667-2003R (220)
Sample Date: 2003-07-21 Taxonomist: Michigan State University
Location: Upstream Of Kiw Road
Sample comments:
Latitude: 45.41413491
Longitude: -69.06704401

Three figures from left to right: On the far left, an outline of the state of Maine with the site location marked in blue. In the middle, a satellite image view of the area of the site, with waterbodies marked in blue, and the site marked in red, with a scale bar and north arrow. On the right, a downstream image of the sample site.

Model Results and Variable Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 90th and/or 10th percentile of reference site values.

Statutory Class = A
Final Determination = A
Attains Class = YES
Reason = Model
Model Result = A
Prob. Class A = 0.97
Prob. Class B = 0.03
Prob. Class C = 0.00
Prob. NA = 0.00

Boxplots of stream algae model metrics, including range of values from all samples, from reference sites, and this specific sample. Stream algae model metrics are in a table below.

Additional Variable Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 90th and/or 10th percentile of reference site values.

Boxplots of additional stream algae metrics, including range of values from all samples, from reference sites, and this specific sample. Additional stream algae metrics are in a table below.

Model Variables Table
Variable Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference range lower limit Reference range upper limit Reference range description
Salt-tolerant diatom percent abundance 0.00 0.90 0.00 9.15 0.00 1.08 <90th percentile
Nutrient-tolerant diatom richness 4.00 8.00 3.00 17.00 0.00 8.00 <90th percentile
Intermediate diatom richness 14.00 19.00 11.00 28.80 9.00 25.30 10th to 90th percentile
Intolerant algae percent species 28.57 18.75 3.70 42.27 22.12 72.41 >10th percentile
Motile diatom percent abundance 2.83 8.49 1.55 31.56 0.00 11.59 <90th percentile
Tolerant algae percent abundance 0.01 1.19 0.00 17.43 0.00 1.05 <90th percentile
Additional Variables Table
Variable Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference range lower limit Reference range upper limit Reference range description
Tolerance Index (all algae) 42.54 42.67 37.09 49.07 0.00 42.34 <90th percentile
Nitrogen Index (all algae) 31.20 38.64 26.81 51.56 0.00 35.58 <90th percentile
Phosphorus Index (all algae) 41.98 58.62 38.59 76.56 0.00 53.06 <90th percentile
Intolerant algae percent species 6.00 6.00 1.00 14.00 5.00 23.00 >10th percentile
Intolerant algae richness 0.00 6.25 0.00 16.00 0.00 7.14 <90th percentile
Salt-tolerant diatom percent richness 99.16 89.95 61.14 98.30 45.42 97.96 10th to 90th percentile
Tolerant algae percent richness 4.76 16.67 0.00 41.38 0.00 14.29 <90th percentile
Nutrient- tolerant diatom percent abundance 47.34 42.06 7.59 84.31 0.00 48.33 <90th percentile
Stream Characteristics and Water Chemistry Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 10th to 90th percentile of reference site values

Wetted width = 10 m
Depth = 44 cm
Water velocity = 14 cm/s
Riffle = 20 %
Run = 80 %
Bedrock = 0 %
Boulder = 30 %
Cobble = 40 %
Gravel = 25 %
Sand = 5 %
Silt = 0 %
Clay = 0 %
Boxplots of stream water chemistry. Values are in a table below.
Water Chemistry Table
Parameter Sample Date Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference 10th percentile Reference 90th percentile Units
Dissolved Oxygen 2003-07-21 9.5 8.60 7.00 10.23 7.80 10.62 Milligrams Per Liter
pH 2003-07-21 6.89 7.12 6.21 7.97 6.00 7.55 Standard Ph Unit
Specific Conductance 2003-07-21 21 88.55 25.00 492.00 15.41 67.31 Microsiemens Per Centimeter
Temperature 2003-07-21 21.5 20.00 14.70 24.70 12.80 23.60 Degrees Celcius (Temperature)
Viewing Bucket
Viewing Bucket Table
Cover type Percent cover Cover group
Filament >1cm Long 0.48 Nuisance algae
Sand / Mud 2.86 Not algae
Mat Not Visible 41.43 Thin algal layer
Mat Incomplete 51.90 Thin algal layer
Mat <1mm Thick 3.33 Thin algal layer

Barplot of viewing bucket substrate cover types, available in table on the right.

Land Use
Land Cover Data Source: MELCD 2004
Watershed Area (sq km): 50.8
Impervious Cover %: 0
Land Use Table
Cover Type Percent Category
Residential 0.60 Developed
Water 0.45 Natural
Wetland 2.94 Natural
Forest 96.01 Natural
Cleared 0.01 Agriculture

Barplots of landcover data from watershed upstream of sample location. Percentages are available in a table on the right

Site Information
Name: Middle Branch Pleasant River - Station 667 Sampled by: Biomonitoring Unit
Town: Ebeemee Twp Method: Rock Scrapings 1 Inch Circles
Biomonitoring Basin Penobscot And Downeast Sample ID: SA-667-2003R (220)
Sample Date: 2003-07-21 Taxonomist: Michigan State University
Taxa List (See key at end of report)

 Tolerance values color coding: Blue for sensitive, <32.20. Purple for intermediate, >=32.20 and <60. Red for tolerant, >=60.

Name Group RA RB Oxy Sap Sal Tr Mot GF Tol TN TP
Phormidium formosum Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.801 0.417 42.6 23
Homoeothrix janthina Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.152 0.033 43 19 21
Undetermined bg filament 1-25m Cyanobacteria 0.015 0.003 NA
Achnanthidium minutissimum Pennate Diatom 0.007 0.005 1 2 2 7 N P 41.2
Calothrix Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.006 0.004 29.1 9 15
Gomphonema cf. minisculum Pennate Diatom 0.005 0.014 N S NA
Homoeothrix janthina (basal coccoid cells) Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.004 0.000 43
Fragilaria gracilis Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.002 1 1 2 2 N V 30.6 18 22
Ulnaria ulna Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.068 3 4 2 N E 34.2 17 21
Gomphonema parvulum Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.003 4 4 2 5 N S 42.2 21
Gomphonema apuncto Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.004 N S NA 8 8
Encyonema silesiacum Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.002 3 3 2 7 V S 46.9 43 69
Fragilaria vaucheriae Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.004 3 3 2 5 N V 44.2 36
Synedra rumpens Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.006 2 2 N E 34.3 20 32
Amphora pediculus Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.000 2 2 2 5 M P 76.2 71 93
Navicula cryptotenella Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.001 2 2 7 M P 44.6 61 82
Cocconeis lineata Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.001 3 2 2 5 N P 51.5 62 82
Brachysira brebissonii Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.000 2 1 1 1 M P 16.3 8 4
Eunotia implicata Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.005 1 V E 28.3 16 15
Gomphonema patrickiae Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.000 N S NA 22 36
Cymbella tumida Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.002 1 1 2 4 V S 57.8 48 78
Brachysira microcephala Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.001 2 1 2 2 M P 18 12 18
Mougeotia 30-405m Filamentous Green 0.000 0.422 26.9 10 12
Achnanthidium deflexum Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.000 1 2 3 N P 43.5 40 52
Gomphonema truncatum Pennate Diatom 0.000 0.004 2 2 2 4 N S 36.5 47 44

Taxa List Key
Column Name Description
RA Relative Abundance number of cells (density of cells per square centimeter) in a sample / total abundance of all taxa
RB Relative Biovolume Volume of a taxon’s cells in a sample / volume of all algae cells in a sample
Oxy van Dam Oxygen tolerance 1=100% DO saturation, 2=>75% DO saturation, 3=>50% DO saturation, 4=>30% DO saturation, 5=<30% DO saturation
Sap van Dam Saprobic value Saprobic values relate to the amount of organic pollution, biological oxygen demand, and DO concentrations. Values range from 1 (intolerant of organic pollution) to 5 (highly tolerant of organic pollution)
Sal van Dam Salinity value 1=freshwater (<100 mg/L chloride) , 2=fresh-brackish (<500 mg/L), 3=brackish-freshwater (500-1000 mg/L), 4=brackish (1000-5000 mg/L)
Tr van Dam Trophic value 1=oligotraphentic, 2=oligo-mesotraphentic, 3=mesotraphentic, 4=meso-eutraphentic, 5=eutraphentic, 6=hypereutraphentic, 7=indifferent to trophic state
Mot Motility of Diatoms Motility (capability of movement in water or on substrates) based on genus (Wang et al. 2005): N= not motile, M = motile , H = highly motile, V=variable within genus
GF Growth Forms E= erect, P=prostrate, S=stalked, U=unattached, V=variable (based on communication with R. Jan Stevenson)
Tol Tolerance value Tolerance to a combination of watershed disturbance, conductivity, and nutrient enrichment (based on Maine data). Value range from 1=most senstive to 100=most tolerant.
TN TN value Preference for total nitrogen (TN) based on Maine data. Values range from 1=low TN concentrations to 100=high TN concentrations.
TP TP value Preference for total phosphorus (TP) based on Maine data. Values range from 1=low TP concentrations to 100=high TP concentrations.