Abstract
Depression wetlands (colloquially referred to in South Africa (SA) as pans) are found worldwide and primarily occur in arid regions including North and South America, southern and central Africa and southern and western Australia. Surface water resources in SA, and specifically in Gauteng, are under pressure from urbanisation, poor agricultural practices and untreated mining and industrial effluent. Research of these wetlands will benefit the development of health assessment tools for these unique aquatic resources. The aim of this project was to determine the water quality and macroinvertebrate community structure for each perennial pan during consecutive dry and wet seasons and to establish a possible comparison between these pans that can be used as a baseline for future research on pans. The sampled pans in Gauteng presented higher TDS, Cl and Mg results compared to other South African studies, and similar SO4 results to pans in the Mpumalanga province. Ammonia, Al and Zn results of all pans through all sampling events exceed the Target Water Quality Range (TWQR) for aquatic ecosystems of the Water Quality Guidelines (WQG) from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The water quality from selected systems is suitable for livestock watering based on the DWS TWQR. Macroinvertebrate species of all sampled pans were mostly low water quality tolerant species with a predator dominant community structure. Seasonal variation of species was evident. Macroinvertebrate families found in the wet season include Hydrophilidae, Aeshnidae, Pleiidae, Ephemeroptera, Belostomatidae and Notonectidae. Families found in the dry season include Planaridae, Dysticidae, Hirudinidae and Daphnidae. Graphical representation of ordination analyses with Canoco version 5 (Ter Braak and Šmilauer 2012) indicated that TDS, temperature, pH, sulphates and hardness are strong drivers of the existing macroinvertebrate community in most of the pans.
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.References
Assmuth, T., & Penttila, S. (1995). Characteristics, determinants and interpretations of acute lethality in daphnids exposed to complex waste leachates. Aquatic Toxicology, 31(2), 125–141.
Barbour, M. T., Gerritsen, J., Snyder, B. D., & Stribling, J. B. (1999). Rapid bioassessment protocols for use in streams and wadeable rivers: periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates and fish. Report no. EPA 841–B–99–002 (2nd ed.). Washington D.C.: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Water.
Bird, M., & Malan, H. (2010). Aquatic invertebrates as indicators of human impacts in South African wetlands. WRC Report No. TT 435/09. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Bird, M. S., Mlambo, M. C., & Day, J. A. (2013). Macroinvertebrates as unreliable indicators of human disturbance in temporary depression wetlands of the south-western cape, South Africa. Hydrobiologia, 720, 19–37.
Chessman, B. (2002). Monitoring wetlands. Wetland biological assessment: field techniques and data interpretation. Sydney: School of Biological, Earth and environmental sciences, University of NSW.
Clarke, K. R., & Gorley, R. N. (2001). Primer v5: user manual/tutorial. Plymouth: PRIMER–E.
Craddock, D. R. (1975). Effects of increased water temperature on Daphnia Pulex. Fishery Bulletin, 74(2), 403–408.
Dallas, H. F., & Day, J. A. (2004). The effect of water quality variables on aquatic ecosystems: a review. WRC Report No TT224/02. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Day, J. A. & De Moor, I. J. (Eds.) (2002a). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (vol. 5) In non-arthropods: the Protozoans, Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Nermertea, Rotifera, Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Gastrotrichia, Bryozoa, Tardigrada, Polychaeta, Oligochaeta and Hirundinea. WRC Report No. TT 167/02. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Day, J. A. & De Moor, I. J. (Eds.) (2002b). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (vol. 6). In Arachnida and Mollusca: Araneae, water mites and Mollusca. WRC Report No. TT 182/02. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Day, J. A., Stewart, B. A., De Moor, I. J. & Louw, A. E. (Eds.) (1999). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (vol. 2). In Crustacea I: Notostraca, Anostraca, Conchostraca and Cladocera. WRC report no. TT 121/00. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Day, J. A., De Moor, I. J., Stewart, B. A. & Louw, A. E. (Eds.) (2001). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (vol. 3). In Crustacea II: Ostracoda, Copepoda and Branchiura. WRC report no. TT 148/01. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Day, J. A., Harrison, A. D. & De Moor I. J. (Eds.) (2002). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (vol. 9). In Diptera. WRC report no. TT 201/02. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
De Klerk, A. R. (2009). An assessment of the ecological integrity of reed pans on the Mpumalanga highveld. Johannesburg: MSc University of Johannesburg.
De Klerk, A. R., & Wepener, V. (2011). The influence of biotope and sampling method on the assessment of the invertebrate community structure in endorheic reed pans in South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 36(1), 67–74.
De Klerk, A. R., & Wepener, V. (2013). Macroinvertebrate assemblage changes as an indicator of water quality of perennial Endorheic reed pans on the Mpumalanga Highveld, South Africa. Journal of Environmental Protection, 2013(4), 10–21 Published Online July 2013 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jep).
De Moor, I. J., Day, J. A. & De Moor, F. C. (Eds.) (2003a). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (Vol. 7) In Insecta I: Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Plecoptera. WRC Report No. TT 207/03. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
De Moor, I. J., Day, J. A. & De Moor, F. C. (Eds.) (2003b). Guides to the freshwater invertebrates of southern Africa (Vol. 8) In Insecta II: Hemiptera, Megaloptera, Neuroptera, Trichoptera and Lepidoptera. WRC Report No. TT 214/03. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
De Necker L. (2015). MSc dissertation: macroinvertebrate biodiversity from selected ephemeral and floodplain pans of the lower Phongolo River. University of Johannesburg.
De Wet, L. M., Schoonbee, H. J., De Wet, L. P. D., & Wiid, A. J. B. (1994). Bioaccumulation of metals by the southern Mouthbrooder, Pseudocrenilabrus philander [weber, 1897] from a mine-polluted impoundment. Water SA, 20(2), 119–126.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (1996a). South African Water Quality Guidelines (Vol. 7, Second ed.). Pretoria: Aquatic Ecosystems. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (1996b). South African Water Quality Guidelines. In Agricultural Use: Irrigation (Vol. 4, Second ed.). Pretoria: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (1996c). South African Water Quality Guidelines. In Agricultural Use: Livestock Watering (Vol. 5, Second ed.). Pretoria: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (1996d). South African Water Quality Guidelines. In Recreational Use (Vol. 2, Second ed.). Pretoria: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). (1999). Water resources protection policy, resource directed measures for protection of water resources. Wetland ecosystems, version 1.1. Pretoria: Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Dickens, C. W. S., & Graham, P. M. (2002). The South African Scoring System (SASS), Version 5, rapid bioassessment method for rivers. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 27, 1–10.
Drozd, P. (2010). ComEcoPaC—Community Ecology Parameter Calculator. Version 1. Available from: http://prf.osu.cz/kbe/dokumenty/sw/ComEcoPaC/ComEcoPaC.xls. Accessed on 6 October 2016.. Accessed 6 Oct 2016.
Ellery, W. N., Grenfell, M. C., Grenfell, S. E., Kotzé, D. C., McCarthy, T. S., Tooth, S., Grundling, P-L., Beckedahl, H., Le Maitre, D. & Ramsay, L. (2009). WET-Origins: controls on the distribution and dynamics of wetlands in South Africa. Pretoria: Water Research Commission. WRC Report No. TT 334/08.
Farrell, K., Ferreira, M., & Van Vuren, J. H. J. (2015). Do aquatic macroinvertebrate communities respond to land-use effects in the Wilge River, Mpumalanga, South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 40(2), 165–173.
Ferreira, M. (2010). The development of methods to assess the ecological integrity of perennial pans. PhD thesis. University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Foster, L. S. (2014). The effect of water and sediment quality on macro-invertebrate communities from selected endorheic pans. Johannesburg: MSc University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Foster, I., Malherbe, W., Ferreira, M., & Van Vuren, J. H. J. (2015). Macroinvertebrate variation in endorheic depression wetlands in North West and Mpumalanga provinces, South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science, 40(3), 287–297.
Goudie, A. S., & Wells, G. L. (1995). The nature, distribution and formation of pans in arid zones. Earth Science Reviews, 38, 1–69.
Hancock, M. A., & Timms, B. V. (2002). Ecology of four turbid clay pans during a filling-drying cycle in the Karoo, semi-arid Australia. Hydrobiologia, 479, 95–107.
Helgen, J. C. (2002). Methods for evaluating wetland condition: developing an invertebrate index of biological integrity for wetlands. EPA-822-R-02-019. Washington, D.C.: Office of Water, United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Henri, A. J., Ferreira, M., Malherbe, W., De Necker, L., Wepener, V., & Van Vuren, J. H. J. (2014a). The hatching success of egg banks of selected endorheic wetland (pan) fauna and a suggested water quality classification of pans. WRC Report No. 2190/1/14. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Henri, A. J., Ferreira, M., Malherbe, W., Wepener, V., & Van Vuren, J. H. J. (2014b). The effect of acid mine drainage on the hatching success of branchiopod egg banks from endorheic wetlands in South Africa. Hydrobiologia, 738, 35–48.
Isler, O. (1971). Carotenoids. Basel: Springer.
Jain, C. K., & Ram, D. (1997). Adsorption of metal ions on bed sediments. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 42(5), 713–723. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626669709492068.
Malan, H. L. & Day, J. A. (2005). Wetland water quality and the ecological reserve. Water Research Commission Report 1311/1/05. Pretoria: Water Research Commission.
Margalef, R. (1968). Perspectives in ecological theory. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Merrit, R. W., Cummins, K. W., Berg, M. B., Novak, J. A., Higgins, M. J., Wessell, K. J., & Lessard, J. L. (2002). Development and application of a macroinvertebrate functional–group approach in the bioassessment of remnant river oxbows in Southwest Florida. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 21, 290–310.
Ollis, D. J., Snaddon, C. D., Job, N. M., & Mbona, N. (2013). Classification system for wetlands and other aquatic ecosystems in South Africa. User manual: inland systems. SANBI Biodiversity Series 22. Pretoria: South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Partridge, T. C., Kerr, S. J., Metcalfe, S. E., Scott, L., Talma, A. S., & Vogel, J. C. (1993). The Pretoria Saltpan; a 200,000 year Southern African lacustrine sequence. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 101(3–4), 317–337.
Pielou, E. E. (1971). Measurement of structure in animal communities. In: J.A. Wiens (Ed.) Ecosystem structure and function. Proceedings of the 31st Annual Biology Colloquium. Oregon State U.P. Portland.
Richards, L. T. (2001). A guide to wetland identification, delineation and wetland functions. Mini-dissertation, Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Russel, J. L. (2008). MSc dissertation: the inorganic chemistry and geochemical evolution of pans in the Mpumalanga Lakes District, South Africa. University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Science.
Seaman, M. T., Ashton, P., & William, W. D. (1991). Inland salt waters of southern Africa. Hydrobiologia, 210, 75–91.
Shannon, C. E., & Weaver, W. (1963). The mathematical theory of communication. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.
Shaw, P. A., & Bryant, R. G. (2011). Pans, playas and salt lakes. In: Arid zone geomorphology: process, form and change in drylands, third edition. London: Wiley, pp. 373–401.
Singh, P. (2015). The assessment of sediment contamination in an acid mine drainage impacted river in gauteng using three sediment bioassays. Dissertation, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Šmilauer, P., & Lepš, J. (2014). Multivariate analysis of ecological data using Canoco 5. Cambridge University Press.
South African Weather Service (SAWS). (2016). Rainfall data for 30 years requested September 2016.
Tangen, B. A., Butler, M. G., & Ell, M. J. (2003). Weak correspondence between macroinvertebrate assemblages and land use in prairie pothole region wetlands, USA. Wetlands, 23(1), 104–115.
Ter Braak, C. J. F., & Šmilauer, P. (2012). Canoco reference manual and user’s guide: software for ordination, version 5.0. Ithaca: Microcomputer Power.
Theunissen, M. (2014). Physico-chemical characteristics of water and sediment of pans in the western Free-State and the bioaccumulation of toxicants. Johannesburg: MSc University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Weber, A. K., & Pirow, R. (2009). Physiological responses of Daphnia pulex to acid stress. BMC Physiology, 9, 9.
Williams, W. D. (1998). Salinity as a determinant of the structure of biological communities in Salt Lakes. Hydrobiologia, 381, 191–201.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the University of Johannesburg for the funding, facilities and equipment for this project and Waterlab Pty Ltd. for the water and sediment analyses.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendices
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Burger, M., van Vuren, J.H.J., de Wet, L. et al. A comparison of water quality and macroinvertebrate community structure in endorheic depression wetlands and a salt pan in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Environ Monit Assess 191, 14 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7121-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-018-7121-5