Abstract
Ph.D.
Wetlands play an integral role in the hydrological cycle and biodiversity. Despite this, wetlands have been neglected in terms of research and monitoring in South Africa. This lack of research has become even more insufficient when it comes to endorheic wetlands. Endorheic wetlands in South Africa are known as pans. Pans are isolated depressions that for through wind erosion are generally shallow and lack an integrated drainage. Water gain is depended on rainfall and surface runoff and water loss is largely due to evaporation. Pans can be either ephemeral in nature or can remain inundated for long periods of time. There are close to 5000 pans in the study area of the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. An estimated 40% of these pans are perennial in nature. The little information on the ecology of pans is all focussed on those systems that are ephemeral. The lack of knowledge is, however, not restricted to the ecology of perennial pans but also the management tools available for these ecosystems. Whereas a variety of methods are available to determine the quantity and quality of water needed to sustain riverine systems (and wetlands connected to rivers), there are no such methods for pans. Especially important is the lack in standardised methods to assess the ecological integrity of perennial pans. This is important as perennial pan ecosystems are increasingly under threat from an increase in coal mining and agricultural activities in Mpumalanga. Coal mining activities have increased in the study area due to both an increase in energy demands and the ease of mining coal deposits in the study area.
The lack in standardised methods could be as a direct result of the lack in knowledge of the ecology of the perennial pans. The aim of this study was thus to develop standardised methods for assessing the ecological integrity of perennial pans in Mpumalanga by studying the ecology of the pans. The study thus uses a fundamental approach to reach certain applied goals. To achieve the aim, a total of nine pans were included in the study of which seven were surveyed seasonally for two years and two were sampled on a single occasion. Five of these pans were located in the Mpumalanga Lake District (MLD) and were in a relatively pristine condition. The other four pans were impacted either by agricultural activities, mining activities or both. During these surveys, various components of the ecosystem were studied. These components included the spatial and temporal variations in the abiotic components like the physico-chemical characteristics, habitat quality and quantity, and the sediment characteristics. It also included the spatial and temporal variations in the vegetation communities surrounding the pans and the aquatic invertebrate communities within the pans. The aquatic invertebrate communities were assessed based on a taxonomic approach (diversity) and functional approach (biological traits).