- Title
- Benthic diatom-based indices and isotopic biomonitoring of nitrogen pollution in a warm temperate Austral river system
- Creator
- Dalu, Tatenda, Cuthbert, Ross N, Taylor, Jonathan C, Magoro, Mandla L, Weyl, Olaf L F, Froneman, P William, Wasserman, Ryan J
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/466917
- Identifier
- vital:76798
- Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142452
- Description
- Rivers are impacted by pollutants from anthropogenic activities such as urbanisation and agricultural practices. Whilst point source pollution has been widely studied and in some cases remediated, non-point pollutant sources remain pervasive, particularly in developing countries that lack economic and human specialist capacity. Monitoring of pollution levels in many regions is additionally challenged by a lack of robust indicators for nitrogen inputs, however, diatom community indices and analysis of variation in microphytobenthos (MBP) stable isotope analysis variations have potential. The present study investigates variations and utilities in benthic diatom indices and MPB δ15N along different river sections (n = 31) of an austral river between two seasons (wet and dry), testing for relationships with key environmental variables (physical, water and sediment), in the context of N monitoring. One hundred and eighteen diatom taxa belonging to 36 genera were identified, with physical (water flow), water (nitrate, P and total dissolved solids) and sediment (B, Ca, Cr, Na, N, P, SOM, Pb and Zn) variables correlating to one or more of the 12 diatom indices presented. In particular, Biological Diatom Index, Biological Index of Water Quality, Central Economic Community, Index of Artois-Picardie Diatom (IDAP) and Sládeček's Index were strongly explained by sediment variables, whilst Descy's Pollution Index and Schiefele and Schreiner's Index were explained by water and physical variables.
- Format
- 9 pages, pdf
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Science of the Total Environment, Dalu, T., Cuthbert, R.N., Taylor, J.C., Magoro, M.L., Weyl, O.L., Froneman, P.W. and Wasserman, R.J., 2020. Benthic diatom-based indices and isotopic biomonitoring of nitrogen pollution in a warm temperate Austral river system. Science of the Total Environment, 748, p.142452, Science of the Total Environment volume 748 number 1 1 9 2020 1879-1026
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Elsevier Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.elsevier.com/legal/elsevier-website-terms-and-conditions)
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Collections
Froneman, Pierre William (Prof)
RU South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB)
SDG 14. Life Below Water
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
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