Assessing fish community response to water quality and habitat stressors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

IF 1.1 4区 环境科学与生态学 Q3 MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY
Wesley. Evans, C. Downs, M. Burnett, G. O’Brien
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引用次数: 4

Abstract

The degradation of freshwater ecosystems can be attributed to stressors associated with the increased demand for water and other aquatic resources. Freshwater ecosystems face such challenges in supporting agriculture, industry, and high-density urban areas in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province, South Africa. In this study, the presence of fish species and their abundance was quantified at 40 sites in KZN on 16 major rivers systems. Surveys were done during a drought period between February 2015 and April 2016, as part of the River Health Programme, a national river monitoring assessment. The Fish Response Assessment Index (FRAI) was used to evaluate the condition of the sites, and redundancy analysis was used to evaluate the habitat, water quality and fish community relationships. The FRAI scores showed four sites to be in a ‘Seriously Modified’ condition. These areas were associated with intensive agricultural activities and urban environments. The presence of invasive fish species, abstraction and industrial use all had negative impacts on the ecological state of the rivers. When compounded by excessive water use, the drought resulted in poor fish community integrity, highlighting the vulnerability of fish communities in this region. The absence or low abundances of some indigenous fish alongside the high presence of invasive fish requires additional investigation. Results highlight the importance of mitigation measures against anthropogenic impacts should be enforced to ensure sustainable use of KZN water resources.
评估南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省鱼类群落对水质和生境压力源的反应
淡水生态系统的退化可归因于与对水和其他水生资源的需求增加有关的压力因素。在南非夸祖鲁-纳塔尔省(KZN),淡水生态系统在支持农业、工业和高密度城市地区方面面临着这样的挑战。本研究对昆州16个主要河流水系的40个站点的鱼类存在度和丰度进行了定量分析。调查是在2015年2月至2016年4月的干旱期间进行的,作为河流健康方案的一部分,这是一项国家河流监测评估。采用鱼类响应评价指数(fri)对样地进行评价,采用冗余分析对生境、水质和鱼类群落关系进行评价。fri得分显示,有四个站点处于“严重修改”状态。这些地区与集约化农业活动和城市环境有关。入侵鱼类的存在、抽采和工业利用都对河流的生态状况产生了负面影响。再加上过度用水,干旱导致鱼类群落完整性差,凸显了该地区鱼类群落的脆弱性。一些本地鱼类的缺失或低丰度以及入侵鱼类的高存在需要进一步的调查。研究结果强调,为确保库仑祖克省水资源的可持续利用,必须加强对人为影响的缓解措施。
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来源期刊
African Journal of Aquatic Science
African Journal of Aquatic Science MARINE & FRESHWATER BIOLOGY-
CiteScore
3.90
自引率
7.10%
发文量
31
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: The African Journal of Aquatic Science is an international journal devoted to the study of the aquatic sciences, covering all African inland and estuarine waters. The Journal publishes peer-reviewed original scientific papers and short articles in all the aquatic science fields including limnology, hydrobiology, ecology, conservation, biomonitoring, management, water quality, ecotoxicology, biological interactions, physical properties and human impacts on African aquatic systems.
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