Water and Estuary
An integrated study of the Mpenjati estuary-beach system. (Biological component)
Abstract
A study was carried out to find the abundances of animal organisms between both sides of the Mpenjati estuary. Zooplankton, Macro fauna, Meiofauna and Fish was sampled .Each of the species that reside in the estuary contribute to the diversity of the area and are essentially driving forces, ensuring optimal functioning of the ecosystem. The purpose of sampling such ecosystems is to find out how the interactions amongst these organisms show a relation towards environmental conditions and how they could be affecting the estuary in the abundances that they are found. Samples was collected at different sampling stations were it was collected and labelled for further analyse in a laboratory at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Different sampling methods were used, which was designed effectively to collect different types of organisms. A seine net was used to collect fish in the estuary side and a fry net on the beach side. An Ekman grab was used to collect the sediment that possessed macro fauna and the meiofauna samples was extracted from sediment corers respectively. Zooplankton was sieved and collected using a 200 micron mesh at the high energy swash zone. The results showed a great variation of species present in the estuary system. Results showed that calanoid copepods were in great abundance on the beach side accounting for 85 percent of the zooplankton measured. Nematodes were the only species found in the meiofaunal samples. There was 34.18 ind.m2 of macrofauna. No fish species was netted in on the beach side and this could be due to the low tide that was currently in bay while sampling was conducted at that sampling station.
Introduction
A general understanding of an estuary is a region through which a river discharges into a sea. In a Southern African context the following is a widely accepted and concise definition of an estuary “It is a partially enclosed coastal
Abstract
A study was carried out to find the abundances of animal organisms between both sides of the Mpenjati estuary. Zooplankton, Macro fauna, Meiofauna and Fish was sampled .Each of the species that reside in the estuary contribute to the diversity of the area and are essentially driving forces, ensuring optimal functioning of the ecosystem. The purpose of sampling such ecosystems is to find out how the interactions amongst these organisms show a relation towards environmental conditions and how they could be affecting the estuary in the abundances that they are found. Samples was collected at different sampling stations were it was collected and labelled for further analyse in a laboratory at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Different sampling methods were used, which was designed effectively to collect different types of organisms. A seine net was used to collect fish in the estuary side and a fry net on the beach side. An Ekman grab was used to collect the sediment that possessed macro fauna and the meiofauna samples was extracted from sediment corers respectively. Zooplankton was sieved and collected using a 200 micron mesh at the high energy swash zone. The results showed a great variation of species present in the estuary system. Results showed that calanoid copepods were in great abundance on the beach side accounting for 85 percent of the zooplankton measured. Nematodes were the only species found in the meiofaunal samples. There was 34.18 ind.m2 of macrofauna. No fish species was netted in on the beach side and this could be due to the low tide that was currently in bay while sampling was conducted at that sampling station.
Introduction
A general understanding of an estuary is a region through which a river discharges into a sea. In a Southern African context the following is a widely accepted and concise definition of an estuary “It is a partially enclosed coastal
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