2025 Benthic Monitoring
August 15  10:00 AM
Fox Residence
722 East Fox Lake Road

A brief note from 2025 Biomonitoring Technician

Thanks for organizing a successful sampling event on Fox Lake.
In general, 1. Richness should be high (close to the average for Muskoka or above). 2. % EOT will decrease and % Chironomids will increase over time with water quality impairment. 3. % Predators should be less than the other types of benthos (shredders, collector/gatherers) and these percentages should remain relatively constant over time. 4. The Hilsenhoff Index value should be close to the average for Muskoka or less, as a lower value indicates healthier water.
Site 1 shows richness just below the Muskoka average and a moderately high % EOT, which suggests good ecological health. However, the predator percentage is very elevated compared to other functional groups, indicating an imbalance in the benthic community. Despite this, the Hilsenhoff Index value is below the Muskoka average, pointing to relatively healthy water quality overall.
Site 2 has richness below the Muskoka average but a high % EOT, which is encouraging for water quality. The % Chironomids is low, further supporting this. However, the predator percentage is also quite high, suggesting some imbalance in community structure. The Hilsenhoff Index is slightly better than the Muskoka average, indicating the site is maintaining fairly good water quality conditions.
Hope you have a great rest of your summer!
Best, Mary