TITLE:
Macroinvertebrate Assemblage Changes as an Indicator of Water Quality of Perennial Endorheic Reed Pans on the Mpumalanga Highveld, South Africa
AUTHORS:
Arno R. de Klerk, Victor Wepener
KEYWORDS:
Reed Pan; Endorheic Wetland; Macroinvertebrates; Mpumalanga
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.4 No.7A,
July
9,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Reed pans are a very uncommon type of
endorheic wetland, and as such the amount of information available is very
limited. Thus, they are being impacted on by various agricultural, livestock
and other anthropogenic activities. The objectives of this study were to
determine the spatial and temporal variations of macroinvertebrate community
structures in reed pans and the environmental factors (i.e., water quality)
responsible for the maintenance of these structures. Reed pans were studied
over four different seasons, during which time subsurface water, sediment and
macroinvertebrate samples were collected and analyzed. The reed pans studied
showed that the macroinvertebrates were able to reflect various changes in reed
pans with regard to seasonal variability and anthropogenic impacts on water
quality. These anthropogenic impacts caused the disappearance of sensitive
macroinvertebrate taxa and the increase of tolerant macroinvertebrate taxa.