Invertebraat en visdiversiteit van Chrissiesmeer, Mpumalanga.

With South Africa being a semi-arid country, the effective management and sustainable utilisation of water as a resource is becoming gradually more important. Management of this resource is ultimately based on resource monitoring. Lakes are defined as any relatively large body of slowly moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin of appreciable size. In the Lake Chrissie area, only the avian fauna have been studied in any detail and other aspects of the biodiversity of this area are waiting to be explored. The Mpumalanga Lake District (MLD) is a unique geomorphic entity in the South African landscape. This area contains an extremely high density of lakes and pans. Lakes and pans in the Lake Chrissie area differ from those in the western fields, in that they are usually oval in shape and are perennially flooded. The aim of this study is to determine the state of the aquatic ecosystem at Lake Chrissie. The abiotic variables that were assessed include: water quality and sediment analysis (Organic matter, moisture percentage and grain size analysis). The biotic components assessed were aquatic macroinvertebrate and fish community structures. The following variables were tested for: turbidity (NTU), nitrates (NO3É), nitrites (NO2É), sulphates (SO42É), ammonium (NH4+), orthophosphates and chloride (ClÉ). Univariate and multivariate analysis was conducted on the data using two software packages, Conoco for Windows Version 4.5, and Primer Version 4. According to DWAF 1996, the results obtained from water analysis show that all the variables tested for, fall in the target water quality ranges, except for chloride (Cl-). A high level of chloride in lakes is natural due to the evaporation process. With regards to macroinvertebrates and fish communities, the results showed high abundance but low diversity. Water plays an integral part in our lives and we need to protect our water resources so that we can not only have water now but also have sustainable water resources in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]