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A comparative study of zooplankton dynamics in two subtropical temporarily open/closed estuaries, South Africa

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Abstract

This study aims at comparing the zooplankton abundance/biomass of two South African estuaries affected to a different degree by sewage pollution. In particular the hypothesis that microzooplankton may increase relative to mesozooplankton, as eutrophication increases, is tested for the first time in African estuaries. The survey was carried out during a whole-year cycle, including both open and closed phases. Results show that zooplankton abundance and biomass are higher in the Mdloti than in the Mhlanga, during both the closed (U=1, P<0.001, U=16, P<0.001) and the open phase (U=101, P<0.05, U=88, P<0.01). There were no significant differences in abundance/biomass between the different reaches of each estuary, during either their open or closed phase (1-way ANOVA, P>0.05). The different levels of dominance of the calanoid copepod Pseudodiaptomus hessei, which accounted for 53–64 and 86–97% of the total abundance in the Mdloti and the Mhlanga, respectively, suggests a shift in the zooplankton community structure. There was a lower microzooplankton abundance/biomass contribution to the total zooplankton in the Mhlanga (59.6–15.8%), compared to the Mdloti (99.1–96.5%). The highest microzooplankton contribution in the Mdloti was observed during the closed phase, while in the Mhlanga this occurred during the open phase. This suggests that eutrophication in the Mhlanga may impact negatively on the microzooplankton community. On the other hand the less affected Mdloti exhibits an opposite trend with an increased microzooplankton component.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Water Research Commission (WRC, Pretoria) and a Joint Venture Project of the National Research Foundation (NRF, Pretoria) and Marine and Coastal Management (MCM, Cape Town). The University of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) also provided funds and facilities. We wish to thank the Marine Section of KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife for providing logistic support and for supplying data on the mouth conditions of the two estuaries. Thanks also to Derek Watt of the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI), for providing rainfall and other meteorological data from the Mt Edgecombe Station. Finally, we are grateful to Mark Olbers, Saras Mundree, Kogilam Iyer and Cheryl Thomas for their invaluable assistance in the field and in the laboratory.

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  1. I. Kibirige

    Present address: School of Education, Discipline of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (DMSTE) Old-R Building, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga, South Africa

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  1. School of Biological and Conservation Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, G. Campbell Building, 4041, Durban, South Africa

    I. Kibirige, R. Perissinotto & X. Thwala

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  1. I. Kibirige
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Correspondence to R. Perissinotto.

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Communicated by J.P. Thorpe, Port Erin

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Kibirige, I., Perissinotto, R. & Thwala, X. A comparative study of zooplankton dynamics in two subtropical temporarily open/closed estuaries, South Africa. Marine Biology 148, 1307–1324 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-005-0175-2

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