Abstract
A major aim of this thesis was to implement the relatively new method of environmental DNA metabarcoding, from abiotic substances, to determine species diversity in an urban aquatic ecosystem (Delta Park) and an aquatic ecosystem within a protected nature reserve (Telperion Nature Reserve). We also aimed to determine whether the organisms identified with the eDNA metabarcoding could be used as a tool in assessing water quality and whether species diversity was affected by the water health of the system. eDNA metabarcoding was started by in approximately 2012 and has been rapidly growing ever since. However, there is a paucity of eDNA studies that have occurred in Africa and this thesis is a step forward in filling this gap in literature. eDNA metabarcoding can also allow us to determine species diversity in a non-invasive way and from across multiple taxa simultaneously. A multidisciplinary approach was applied and two different primers, a universal primer as well as a species-specific primer were used to determine which performed better, with the species-specific primer identifying more organisms to species level than that of the universal primer...
Ph.D. (Zoology)