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Planktonic Algae and Cyanoprokaryotes As Indicators of Ecosystem Quality in the Mooi River System in the North-West Province, South Africa

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Planktonic Algae and Cyanoprokaryotes As Indicators of Ecosystem Quality in the Mooi River System in the North-West Province, South Africa Planktonic algae and cyanoprokaryotes as indicators of ecosystem quality in the Mooi River system in the North-West Province, South Africa A Venter1*, S Barnard1, MA Dickinson1, S Janse van Vuuren1, A Levanets1 and JC Taylor1,2 1Unit for Environmental Science and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa 2South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa ABSTRACT An ecologically healthy Mooi River system is important for maintaining the quality of potable water of Potchefstroom and surrounding areas. However, this system is under constant threat from anthropogenic pollution arising from both agricul- tural and mining activities in its catchment. A survey of planktonic algal and cyanoprokaryote assemblages in Klerkskraal, Boskop and Potchefstroom reservoirs was undertaken during 1999–2000 and 2010–2011. In all three dams, total algal and cyanoprokaryote concentrations were lower during the second survey (2010–2011), suggesting an improvement in eco- system health. However, results also show a change from a Chrysophyceae-dominated community to one dominated by Bacillariophyceae. Increased numbers of diatom species that usually occur in eutrophic impoundments (Melosira varians, Cyclotella meneghiniana and Aulacoseira granulata) indicate an increase in the trophic status of the reservoirs, especially that of Boskop Dam, a trend mirrored by increases in conductivity as well as phosphorus and ammonium concentrations in all three reservoirs. It can therefore be concluded that although the ecosystem health of the Mooi River system is currently still good, further increases in nutrients such as phosphorus can cause proliferation of problem species (detected in enrich- ment cultures) and a deterioration of its water quality. Keywords: Mooi River reservoirs, algal communities, cyanoprokaryotes, water quality INTRODUCTION The Mooi River originates in the Boons area and flows southwards through agricultural land into the Klerkskraal Dam, Boskop Dam and Potchefstroom Dam from where it meanders until it joins the Vaal River (Fig. 1). Other dams in the catchment of the Mooi River include Klipdrift Dam in the Loopspruit and Donaldson Dam in the Wonderfonteinspruit (Currie, 2001). The city of Potchefstroom gathers its potable water from surface- and groundwater in the Mooi River catchment. The water is collected and stored in the Boskop Dam from where it is transported in a 12-km long uncovered cement canal to the water purification plant of the city (Annandale and Nealer, 2011). Surface water quality in a region is largely deter- mined both by natural processes and anthropogenic inputs (Kazi et al., 2009) and, in the case of the Mooi River system, anthropogenic inputs include agricul- tural as well as mining pollutants. The Mooi River is Figure 1 situated downstream of the current environmental crises on the A map of the Mooi River System West Rand and far West Rand regarding aspects such as acid mine drainage, closure of mines, and naturally rewatered gold springs in the karst landscape (Annandale and Nealer, 2011). mines which have negative effects on the Wonderfonteinspruit, During high rainfall conditions, Boskop and Potchefstroom as well as the underground located groundwater aquifers and dams receive water from the Mooirivierloop that is fed by water from the highly-polluted Wonderfonteinspruit. Although Klerkskraal Dam has no direct waterborne impacts from min- ing activity, windblown contamination from tailing storage * To whom all correspondence should be addressed. facilities in the catchment is possible (Coetzee et al., 2006). The +27 18 299-2517; fax: +27 18 299-2370; e-mail: [email protected] area surrounding the Mooi River, especially in the Boskop Dam Received 14 November 2012; accepted in revised form 7 October 2013. area, has also been extensively surveyed for minerals, metals http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/wsa.v39i5.16 Available on website http://www.wrc.org.za ISSN 0378-4738 (Print) = Water SA Vol. 39 No. 5 October 2013 ISSN 1816-7950 (On-line) = Water SA Vol. 39 No. 5 October 2013 707 and other deposits and is therefore under constant threat from measured at 665 (and 750) nm before and after acidification. potential mining activity. Diamondiferous gravel diggings Phytoplankton samples were preserved in 2% formaldehyde are already a common sight along the Mooi River between (final concentration) immediately after collection. Despite the Klerkskraal Dam and the confluence with the Vaal River fact that formalin poses a health hazard, as well as sometimes (Currie, 2001). As the Mooi River system is the main source causing changes in cell dimensions, damage and distortion of of potable water for the University town of Potchefstroom and chloroplasts, it remains the most commonly used liquid pre- surrounding areas, deterioration in its water quality will impact servative (John et al., 2002). Concentrations of 2.5% are less a large number of people. damaging than higher concentration ranges in the order of 4% Biological communities reflect the overall ecological integ- (John et al., 2002). Formaldehyde was preferred to Lugol’s solu- rity by integrating various stressors, thus providing a broad tion because the latter often discolours the cell contents, which measure of their synergistic impacts (De la Rey et al., 2004). must be clearly visible for correct identification. Phytoplankton Eutrophication is well known to affect planktonic autotroph identification and enumeration were done according to abundance and composition. Phosphorus enrichment, in the sedimentation technique using gravity as described in particular, often favours cyanophytes, including harmful toxin- Utermöhl (1958) and Swanepoel et al. (2008). Gas vacuoles producing taxa (Steinberg and Hartmann, 1988; O’Niel et al., of cyanoprokaryotes were pressure-deflated in a special con- 2012). These organisms have the potential to produce a variety tainer using a mechanical hammer. Up to 5 mℓ (depending on of toxins that can be a health risk to humans and animals alike. the density of the algae) was then pipetted into sedimentation In 2004 the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry tubes. The sedimentation tubes were filled with distilled water classified Boskop Dam as oligotrophic with very low algal and covered with circular glass coverslips. The sedimentation productivity (Mogakabe, 2004); the aim of this study was to tubes were left for a period of at least 2 days in a desiccator in explore whether (and how) the phytoplankton communities order to allow the cells to settle. Algae and cyanoprokaryotes and trophic status have changed in the past decade. During were identified and counted using an inverted microscope. this study a survey of planktonic autotrophs of the dams in the Identification and enumeration was done by the same analyst to Mooi River tributary was made, not only to determine if the ensure comparability between the two periods. Literature used health of the ecosystem has deteriorated over time, but also to for identification were Croasdale et al. (1994); Ettl et al. (1999); serve as a baseline for future studies and environmental plan- Hindak (2008); Huber-Pestalozzi (1961); John et al. (2002); ning for the region. Komárek and Anagnostidis (2005); Taylor et al. (2007a); Wehr and Sheath (2003) and Oyadomari (2001). MATERIALS AND METHODS An aliquot of 50 mℓ from each sampling site was enriched with 100 mℓ GBG11 growth medium (Krüger, 1978) and incu- Water samples were collected on a monthly basis from May bated at a temperature of 20°C and a continuous light intensity 1999 to July 2000 as well as from March 2010 until March 2011 of 15 µmol m-2∙s-1 to stimulate the growth of algae and cyano- at the wall of Klerkskraal Dam (S 26° 15’ 09.3’’ E 27° 09’ 34.1’’), prokaryotes present in low concentrations. Enrichment studies close to the main inflow of Boskop Dam (S 26° 32’ 43.6’’; E 27° were not done during the first survey. 06’ 51.9’’) and near the centre of Potchefstroom Dam (S 26° 40’ The survey done from March 2010 to March 2011 (here- 15.5’’; E 27° 05’ 38.7’’). Samples were taken in the mornings, after referred to as current survey) and the survey from May starting with Klerkskraal Dam and ending with Potchefstroom 1999 to July 2000 (hereafter referred to as previous survey) Dam. Water was sampled by lowering a bucket into the water, were done at the same localities using the same methods and sampling water at about 20–30 cm and pouring it into 2-ℓ supervised by the same person. Differences in algal and cyano- plastic bottles. Samples were processed on the day of collection. prokaryote composition, as well as in physical and chemical On each sampling occasion physical parameters such as pH, variables between samples collected during the current and temperature (temp), conductivity (cond), turbidity (turb) and previous surveys were explored and tested using Statistica ver- dissolved oxygen (LDO) were measured in situ at about 20 cm sion 10 software (StatSoft Inc.). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov and below the surface with an YSI 556 MPS Multimeter. Lilliefors test for normality was used to determine if the vari- The 2-ℓ water samples collected from each reservoir were ables were distributed parametrically. The data did not meet the subdivided into samples for chemical analysis, chlorophyll-a assumptions of normality in the distribution of all variables. (Chl a) determination and algal identification. Chemical vari- The Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA for non-parametric data was used ables such as ammonium (NH4), nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2) for comparing multiple independent samples to determine and orthophosphate (PO4) were measured with a Palintest 8000 differences between the variables in each reservoir, as well as photometer. between variables from the two time periods. CANOCO ver- Chlorophyll-a concentration was determined with the sion 4.5 software was used to perform multivariate and ordina- method described by Sartory (1982) and Swanepoel et al. tion analyses (Ter Braak and Smilauer, 1998). Only the datasets (2008). Two hundred (200) mℓ water was filtered through a that contained all the variables were used for multivariate Whatman GF/C filter.
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