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Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland
Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei)...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Biological Sciences
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613233240604672 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Cowan, Oliver |
| author2 | Meadows, Michael E |
| author_browse | Cowan, Oliver Meadows, Michael E |
| author_facet | Meadows, Michael E Cowan, Oliver |
| author_sort | Cowan, Oliver |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24854 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:52.713Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24854 Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland Cowan, Oliver Meadows, Michael E Kirsten, Kelly Botany Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization. 2017-08-08T06:49:03Z 2017-08-08T06:49:03Z 2010 Bachelor Thesis Honours BSc (Hons.) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24854 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Cowan, Oliver Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| thesis_degree_str | Bachelor's / Honours |
| title | Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| title_full | Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| title_fullStr | Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| title_short | Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| title_sort | princess vlei what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland |
| topic | Botany |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24854 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cowanoliver princessvleiwhatdiatomscantellusaboutspatialandtemporalheterogeneityinanurbanwetland |