The effect of a large-scale irrigation scheme on the fish community structure and integrity of a subtropical river system in South Africa

Malherbe, Wynand; Wepener, Victor; Vuren, J.H.J. van

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.05.005

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(24 reference statements)

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“…Secondly, is the system sensitive enough to detect pesticide specific signals rather than general stress within the macroinvertebrate community within the ecosystem? The potential stressors that are dominant at the selected sites in this study include salinity, nutrients, and habitat alteration [ 28 ]. The correlation with SASS5 results and the pesticide intensity measure indicated that the SPEAR pesticide indicator could be useful to indicate the effects of pesticides on the aquatic community even though the relationships in this study was not significant.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of a Macroinvertebrate Indicator in Afrotropical Regions for Pesticide Pollution

Malherbe

Vuren

Wepener

2018

Journal of Toxicology

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Many biotic integrity indices are not able to isolate community effects due to pesticide exposure as the communities also respond to other anthropogenic and natural stressors. A macroinvertebrate trait bioindicator system that is pesticide specific was therefore developed to overcome these challenges. This system, called SPEAR (SPEcies At Risk), was applied in South Africa as an indicator to link known pesticide catchment usage to changes in the macroinvertebrate community, especially when analytical methods are inconclusive. In addition, the SPEARsalinity index within the SPEAR suite of tools was also evaluated for its effectiveness in South Africa. The results indicated that all of the sites have either been exposed to the same pesticide pressure or not been exposed to pesticides as the SPEAR results were similar when compared to the pesticide intensity. The interaction with other factors like nutrients or salinity was likely a factor that confounded the SPEARpesticides indicator.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of a Macroinvertebrate Indicator in Afrotropical Regions for Pesticide Pollution

Malherbe

Vuren

Wepener

2018

Journal of Toxicology

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“…Presently, there are expansion plans for the development of hydropower impoundments/dams within eastern and southern Africa (McDonald et al 2009;Conway et al 2017). However, the construction of dams has caused river ecosystems to be radically transformed via alterations to water quality, hydrology and habitat characteristics (Kondolf 1997;Lessard and Hayes 2003;Malherbe et al 2016;Ngor et al 2018;Zhang et al 2018). The dependence of the various biological aspects of ichthyofauna communities on the aforementioned ecosystem characteristics denote that they are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic alterations (Skelton et al 1995;Peacock et al 2016;Akbaripasand and Closs 2018;Baggio et al 2018;Ngor et al 2018;Ramesh et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial shifts and habitat partitioning of ichthyofauna within the middle–lower region of the Pungwe Basin, Mozambique

Desai

Husted

Fry

et al. 2019

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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Freshwater resources are under stress because of anthropogenic activities and the demand for water increasing on a global scale, including hydropower. There are presently plans to expand the use of hydropower within eastern and southern Africa. A key river system identified as a potential source of energy is the Pungwe River, with the proposed Pavua Dam located within the middle reaches of the system in Mozambique. However, impoundments have been recorded to negatively influence ichthyofauna communities via alterations to water quality and discharge. Furthermore, information on the structure of the ichthyofauna community, community spatial shifts and fine-scale habitat preferences for the region are lacking. Accordingly, the research sought to address this issue, to provide baseline data as well as inform on management of the system. Ichthyofauna were collected utilising an array of passive and active techniques and species data modelled to fit spatial factors to ascertain spatial shifts. To ascertain fine-scale habitat preferences, fourth-corner modelling was undertaken to link mouth position and body shape traits to substrate composition and cover features. Spatial heterogeneity in environmental characteristics caused by the intrusion of the African Rift Valley had driven significant spatial shifts in the ichthyofauna community, with distinct groups of species occurring within the sample sites. The findings of the study indicated that the ichthyofauna community within the Muazi River were significantly different to the Pungwe River and the community will be lost from the region because of the dam footprint. Furthermore, habitat preferences were influenced by mouth position and body shape. Consequently, alteration to environmental characteristics and habitat features is likely to negatively influence the ichthyofauna community.

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Assessing Fish and Macroinvertebrates Assemblages in Relation to Environmental Variables in Makuleke Floodplain Pans: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

Munyai,

Mugwedi,

Wasserman

et al. 2023

Wetlands

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The effect of a large-scale irrigation scheme on the fish community structure and integrity of a subtropical river system in South Africa

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

The Application of a Macroinvertebrate Indicator in Afrotropical Regions for Pesticide Pollution

The Application of a Macroinvertebrate Indicator in Afrotropical Regions for Pesticide Pollution

Spatial shifts and habitat partitioning of ichthyofauna within the middle–lower region of the Pungwe Basin, Mozambique

Assessing Fish and Macroinvertebrates Assemblages in Relation to Environmental Variables in Makuleke Floodplain Pans: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation

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