USGS: Marion Invert 1999-2001:  Marion County Invertebrate Collection Protocol for Wadeable Streams, Surber sampler, 1999-2001

  • Summary
  • Analytes
  • Revision
  • Data and Sites
Official Method Name
 Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Biological Assessment of Streams in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area, Indiana, 1999–2001
Current Revision
2003
Media
 WATER
Instrumentation
 Invertebrate Fixed-Area Sampler
Method Subcategory
 Population/Community
Method Source
  USGS
Citation
  Biological Assessment of Streams in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area, Indiana, 1999–2001
Protocol
 USGS WRIR 03–4331 - Biological Assessment of Streams in the Indianapolis Metropolitan Area, Indiana, 1999–2001
Brief Method Summary
 Benthic-invertebrate samples were collected by use of Surber samplers that had a 0.0929 sq m sample grid and a collection-net bag-mesh opening of 210 um. This mesh size has been recommended for collecting benthic invertebrates (Britton and Greeson, 1988). Surber samplers were placed on the streambed, and all the large surface materials within the sample grid were removed and placed in buckets for subsequent scrubbing. The area within the sample grid was scrubbed to remove benthic invertebrates attached to the substrate or embedded in the upper inch of the streambed sediments. Benthic invertebrates were preserved in 10-percent formalin and shipped to a contract laboratory for identification.

Benthic invertebrates were identified to the lowest tax-onomic group possible—often genus and species. The total number of organisms, number of distinct taxa, and EPT Index scores were summarized for each of the three samples collected at each site. The results of the three samples were combined to determine the EPT, HBI, and ICI scores for the site.

The total number of distinct taxa for each sampling site was calculated by resolving ambiguous taxa, then summing the unique taxa for each sample. For the purpose of this report, ambiguous taxa are those not identified to species; they were counted as a distinct taxon only if there were no reported individuals from the next-highest common taxonomic level. Possible reasons for inability to classify to species may be that the organism was damaged or only partially present in the sample, or that the organism was at a life stage that could not be classified to a lower taxon.
Scope and Application
Applicable Concentration Range
Interferences
Quality Control Requirements
Sample Handling
Maximum Holding Time
Relative Cost
 Unknown
Sample Preparation Methods
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