From Resumé: The effect of physico-chemical factors on the biology of the upper reaches of Swartvlei has been investigated during 1971-1972. Physico-chemical data have shown that Swartvlei was characterized by an extremely labile ectogenic meromixis. This instability was due to three factors : (1) the inflow of freshwater, (2) the inflow of sea water, and (3) wind stress. The magnitude of the effects of these factors upon the physics, chemistry and biology of the upper reaches was dependent upon whether or not the estuary mouth was open or closed. The phytoplankton of the pelagic zone of Swartvlei was dominated by nannoplankton. Three major categories were recorded: dinoflagellates, flagellates and diatoms. The major factor regulating their productivity in the upper reaches was light. As a result of humate staining and suspended detrital matter light conditions in Swartvlei were comparable to those in extremely eutrophic northern hemisphere lakes. A maximum integral primary productivity of 39.66 mg C m⁻² h⁻¹ was recorded in November 1972. The aerobic heterotrophic bacterial population in Swartvlei was usually less than 300 col. ml⁻¹ (plate counts). The activity of the total microbial population was measured with ¹⁴C techniques. Uptake of acetate was dominated by flagellates and one species of dinoflagellate when they were present. Glucose uptake was due to bacteria as was acetate uptake in the absence of heterotrophic phytoplankton. Glucose uptake was usually greatest in the anaerobic zone. This, and the presence of H₂S, suggested that a large active photosynthetic and chemosynthetic bacterial population may have been present in the monimolimnion. The possible importance of these bacterial processes in the total productivity of the pelagic zone of Swartvlei was discussed. Daytime zooplankton population size was statistically correlated with the size of the flagellate population. The zooplankton was dominated by Acartia and Halicyclops. These two animals were found in the anaerobic bottom of Swartvlei after October 1971. This corresponded to the disappearance of the flagellate population from the water column. The dominance of these animals in the zooplankton population may have been related to their ability to live in anaerobic water where the bacterial population appeared to be considerably more abundant than in the aerobic zone. Further implications of the results are discussed in reference to phytoplankton cell size and heterotrophy indicating a possible adaptive significance of these factors in Swartvlei.

As climatic conditions continue to change globally, there is a need to assess past environmental change in relation to changing water balance, temperature and sea-level. By understanding the extent of past environmental change, and how anthropogenic impacts have affected ecosystems, better and more accurate future predictions of change can be made. Through the use of the sedimentary record within coastal wetlands, geochemical, (organic content and stable isotopes) and biological (diatoms) proxies were utilised to determine; (i) the baseline water quality record for Soetendalsvlei, one of only a few coastal lakes in South Africa, (ii) the effect of agriculture and mouth manipulation of the Heuningnes Estuary on the microalgae ecology and (iii) the link between palaeo-salinity and trophic status on a regional basis between Soetendalsvlei and Groenvlei, situated 320 km apart. Present water quality and phytoplankton biomass and community structure were assessed for Soetendalsvlei and its associated wetlands, Voëlvlei and Waskraalsvlei to determine the current health of these systems and to obtain modern diatom analogues to be used in the palaeolimnological reconstruction of the coastal lake. Diatoms were not dominant during this study period. Chlorophytes and flagellates were the dominant phytoplankton groups throughout the different wetlands. With the exception of Voëlvlei, the wetlands were all in good health, although SRP concentrations were within the eutrophic to hypertrophic range and are cause for concern. In Voëlvlei, phytoplankton biomass was within the eutrophic range with chlorophyll a concentrations ranging between 20 – 400 ug.l-1 Cyanobacteria, a further indicator of eutrophic conditions, were dominant during the warmer summer periods. Rainfall and freshwater inflow had a significant effect on the biomass and composition of the phytoplankton and acted as a resetting mechanism for all the wetlands as water quality conditions improved thereafter. Comparisons of the water quality and phytoplankton community between the upper reaches of the Heuningnes Estuary and Soetendalsvlei, indicated that artificial breaching of the estuary mouth significantly impacted the connectivity between these two systems, with marine intrusion extending into the upper reaches, while freshwater conditions dominate in the coastal lake. Unfortunately for the palaeolimnological study diatom preservation was poor, however, geochemistry and stable isotope analyses did provide adequate evidence of marine transgression (~8000 yr BP and 4000-2000 yr BP) and regression events comparable to other South African sea-level models developed for the east and west coast. High organic matter content (i.e. higher trophic state) and estuarine POC (C4 vegetation) were associated with periods of marine regression, i.e. increased freshwater, whereas marine transgression events were associated with low organic content and marine POC and DOC. This is comparable to studies conducted in Uruguay (South America) where palaeo-salinity was related to trophic status, i.e. increased freshwater input was associated with high nutrients. Comparisons of the palaeo-record with recorded historical occurrences of droughts and floods, also provided a means of assessing the sedimentary record and to infer anthropogenic impacts after 1850 AD. Overall it can be concluded that coastal lakes of both continents in the Southern Hemisphere displayed similar trophic responses to sea-level fluctuations during the Holocene. This adds valuable information to global sea-level change models.

M.Sc. (Aquatic Health) / The relationships between water quality variables and phytoplankton diversity in the Hartbeespoort Dam were assessed spatially and temporally from February 2011 to March 2012 to evaluate the effects of the water quality variables on cyanobacterial bloom (Microcystis aeruginosa) hence aquatic macrophytes growth (Eichhornia crassipes) in the dam. Variables measured using standard methods included; temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, total suspended solids, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, total phosphorous , ammonium, trace metals, chlorophyll-a and the phytoplankton community. The physical parameters ranged between: temperature (11.8-28 oC), electrical conductivity (282-796 ƒÊS/cm), dissolved oxygen (0.33-32.2 mg/L), pH (6.95-9.91) and total suspended solids (2-372 mg/L). Chemical variables ranged between; total phosphorous (0.02-3.5 mg/L), nitrate (0.03-21.2 mg/L), nitrite (0.02-0.48 mg/L) and ammonium (0.01-1.58 mg/L), chlorophyll-a (0.13-8693 ƒÊg/L), and exceed the TWQR values of the South African Water Quality Guidelines for aquatic ecosystem health health. Metal concentrations in water had the following decreasing order; macro elements: potassium > calcium >sodium > magnesium. Microelements: iron >zinc > aluminium > copper > nickel > manganese > chromium> selenium > lead > silver > arsenic > cadmium. Iron had the highest concentration among microelement of 631.62 ƒÊg/L and potassium the highest concentration amongst macro element of 34.49 mg/L. Six Different algal divisions were found in the dam with cyanophyta (cyanobacteria) been the most dominant group (95 %) and M.aeruginosa the most dominant species (69 %). The current study revealed an increase in physical parameters, chlorophyll-a and phytoplankton community and a decrease in chemical parameters in the summer months. An inverse relationship was observed in the winter months at all sites. One-way ANOVA showed a significant differences for physical variables (p <0.05) between months, with no significant differences noted (p > 0.05) between sites and between depths. Chemical variables however, showed a significant differences between months, sites and between depths (p <0.05). A 2-tailed Pearson correlation revealed negative correlations between temperatures and phosphorus, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, electrical conductivity and iron (r=-0.298;-0.232;-0.099;-0.461;-0.441;-0.260) respectively and positive correlations between temperatures and chlorophyll-a and pH (r= 0.240; 0.609 ;) respectively (p <0.05; p <0.01). Canonical discriminant functions analysis revealed similarities and dissimilarities in water quality variables temporally and spatially with eigenvalues of 84.6 % and 59.1 % respectively. There was an adverse impact of the physico-chemical variables on the phytoplankton community, therefore aquatic macrophytes growth in the dam. The current study revealed that temperature, pH, phosphorous, nitrate and probably iron, copper, zinc and selenium may have contributed to the hypertrophic state of the dam, hence cyanobacterial bloom and growth of aquatic macrophytes.

Introduction: Phosphorus is an especially scarce element in the aquatic environment, yet it is of vital importance to living organisms: the pyrophosphate bond is the basis of biochemical energy transfer, and phosphate groups make up the backbone of the nucleic acids (Wetzel, 1975). An understanding of phosphorus movements and transformations is thus essential to a study of the biological functioning of a lake. The present report describes a study of phosphorus dynamics inSwartvlei, a lake with an extremely low pelagic primary production rate, in the order of 0,15 gC.m⁻².d⁻¹ (Robarts, 1973; Howard-Williams and Allanson, 1978). The littoral phosphorus dynamics of Swartvlei have been discussed in some detail (Howard-Williams, 1977; Howard-Williams and Allanson, 1978), and what follows is an attempt to quantify the changes in phosphorus concentration occurring in the deeper parts of the lake, which comprise some 57% of the total area.