Ecology of palustrine wetlands in Lesotho: Vegetation classification, description and environmental factors (original) (raw)
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Ecosystem services of high-altitude Afromontane palustrine wetlands in Lesotho
Ecosystem Services, 2020
Although wetlands are among the most valuable ecosystems, the condition and extent of wetlands is declining worldwide, to the detriment of ecosystem service delivery. This study assessed the ecosystem services delivered by the Afromontane palustrine wetlands of Lesotho using the WET-EcoServices tool and explored the relationships of the services with environmental factors and plant functional traits using ordination techniques. Higheraltitude wetlands differed from the lower-altitude wetlands in the spectrum of services they deliver. These wetlands were mostly valued for carbon storage, provision of natural resources, streamflow regulation, maintenance of biodiversity and erosion control. Lower-altitude wetlands were valued for natural resources, cultivated foods, nitrate removal, phosphate trapping and streamflow regulation. The environmental factors affecting the delivery of ecosystem services most were altitude, longitude (directly correlated with rainfall in the context of Lesotho), landscape, soil parent material, slope and soil depth. The delivery of several services was also correlated with plant functional traits, for example, carbon storage and maintenance of biodiversity were positively correlated with plant shoot mass, total plant biomass and rooting depth. The location and environmental characteristics of a given wetland within a catchment and the functional characteristics of the wetland's dominant plant species have an influence on the ecosystem services that it delivers. However, the level of threat to ecosystem services is high, especially in the lower-altitude wetlands. The threats, which are mainly anthropogenic, are mostly associated with crop cultivation, overgrazing and trampling by livestock and economic development. Thus, for sustainable provision of wetland ecosystem services, these Afromontane palustrine wetlands require urgent attention and up-scaling of the conservation efforts. 1. Provisioning ES, which are the tangible products ("goods") that are delivered by the wetlands, e.g. food, fibre, freshwater, timber, natural medicines, land for cultivation and grazing for livestock;
High altitude montane wetland vegetation classification of the Eastern Free State, South Africa
South African Journal of Botany, 2013
Wetlands occur where biotic and abiotic conditions combine to create unique habitats and plant assemblages. These systems have anaerobic or hydric soil resulting from waterlogging and are found across all nine biomes in South Africa. Wetlands can thus be regarded as hosting azonal vegetation. On Platberg, the freshwater wetlands are embedded within the Grassland Biome forming distinct units. Platberg wetlands were surveyed and described to explain and document vegetation of this inselberg. Additional aims were to elucidate Afro-montane floristic links with the Drakensberg Alpine Centre, and provide data for conservation management. The study site is located in the Eastern Free State, South Africa, on edge of the Great Escarpment. It is one of an archipelago of more than 20 inselbergs stretching north from the Drakensberg. A total of 51 sample plots (30 m 2) were located in a randomly stratified manner within the wetland units to include all variations in the vegetation. The data was analysed using the TWINSPAN classification algorithm, refined by Braun-Blanquet procedures. The analysis showed the wetlands divided into five communities, six sub-communities and six variants. The wetland communities had an average of 13.56 species per relevé, ranging from 7 to 29 species per sample plot. Numerous floristic links with the Drakensberg Alpine Centre, the Cape Floristic Region and the Grassland biome were found. Platberg shows vegetation and hydrogeological affinity with low altitude freshwater and the high altitude Lesotho Mires of the Drakensberg Alpine Centre. A list of high altitude wetland species was compiled.
Bothalia, 2010
A survey was conducted on the wetlands in the South African section of the Maloti-Drakensberg Transfrontier Park (MDTP), along altitudinal gradients from the foothills to the summit plateau in six different catchments. Environmental indices of soil wetness, texture and organic contents of the soil were determined to relate wetland community types to their environment. Thirty-six plant communities were recognized with a total of 56 subcommunities. These communities fall into five different categories: I, the high-altitude fens and seepages are a loose grouping of distinct vegetation types from the summit plateau and just below; 2, hygrophilous grasslands are the marginal areas of the wetlands that are temporarily wet and dominated by grasses, most of which are common outside wetlands; 3, shrubby wetlands are in most cases hygrophilous grasslands that have been invaded by shrubby species due to disturbance; 4, mixed sedgelands are the largest grouping and are dominated by sedges or gr...
Effect of Declining Rainfall and Anthropogenic Pressures on Three Wetlands Types in Lesotho
An investigation was conducted in three wetland types (Palustrine, Lacustrine & Riverine) in three different agro-ecological zones of Lesotho. The order of anthropogenic impacts were Riverine>Lacustrine>Palustrine. Rainfall data 1936-2006 (i.e. 80 years) were collected and subjected to Cumulative Sum (CUSUM) procedure to analyze increasing or decreasing trends in rainfall. CUSUM showed a decreasing rainfall trend between 1967 and 2006. Organic carbon contents were highest in the undisturbed wetland (Palustrine) and was of the order Palustrine>Lacustrine>Riverine. Highest water soluble N & P in the runoff water was found in the Riverine wetlands and lowest in the Palustrine (<0.01 mg/l of N & P) suggesting increased pollution due to increased anthropogenic activities.
Wetland vegetation in the North-eastern Sandy Highveld, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Bothalia, 2000
The wetland vegetation of the high mountain grasslands of Mpumalanga w as sampled by using stratification based on geology and land types. Floristic data were classified by TWINSPAN procedures and refined by using the Braun-Blanquet method. This resulted in the recognition of four major w etland plant communities w hich are subdiv ided into eleven minor plant communities. The major communities include the Phragmites australis Wetland occurring in relatively deep water, the Miscanthus junceus Wetland from moist river banks and wet drainage lines, the Eragrostis biflora-Stihurus allopecuroides Moist Grassland restricted to moist, poorly drained soils w ith a high water table, and Arundinella nepalensis Moist Grasslands on black vertic soils.
2009
© © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a 5 4 DISCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA p 42-56 4.1 A brief history of northern KwaZulu-Natal p 42-44 4.2 Climate p 44-45 4.3 Topography p 45-46 4.4 Geology and soils p 46-49 4.5 Hydro-geological Setting p 49-56 4.5.1 General p 49-50 4.5.2 Surface water conditions p 50 4.5.3 Groundwater recharge p 51-56 5 METHODOLOGY p 57-72 5.1 Selection of sites p 57 5.2 The structural classification method p 57-62 5.3 The floristic survey p 62-66 5.4 Plant gathering, pressing, storage and identification p 66-67 5.5 Data processing p 67 5.5.1 The TWINSPAN computerized method p 68-71 5.6 Field mapping and verification of wetland and other vegetation p 71-72
Journal of Rural and Development, 2017
Wetland hydrology is important in understanding wetland systems, evaluating wetland functions and processes and assessing wetland conditions. Wetlands assimilate and transform pollutants and nutrients ensuring that quality water is discharged from the wetland into streams. The objective of this study was to characterise wetland hydrology and evaluate the water quality so as to determine the ecological functioning of the Khalong-la-Lithunya wetland. Wetland hydrology and water quality of the three sub-catchments were monitored from October 2015 to March 2016. Water levels in piezometers were recorded once a month and monthly water levels data for the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 previously recorded by the Millennium Challenge Account-Lesotho (MCA-L) project were integrated to this study’s data. Rainfall, piezometer and stream water were similarly obtained once every month. These were analysed for δ2H and δ18O water stable isotopes and water quality parameters determined. The estim...
Wetland plant communities in the Potchefstroom Municipal Area, North-West, South Africa
Bothalia, 1998
Wetlands in natural areas in South Africa have been described before, but no literature exists concerning the phytosociology of urban wetlands. The objective of this study was to conduct a complete vegetation analysis of the wetlands in the Potchefstroom Municipal Area. Using a numerical classification technique (TWINSPAN) as a first approximation, the classification was refined by using Braun-Blanquet procedures. The result is a phytosociological table from which a number of unique plant communities are recognised. These urban wetlands are characterised by a high species diversity, which is unusual for wetlands. Reasons for the high species diversity could be the different types of disturbances occurring in this area. Results of this study can be used to construact more sensible management practises for these wetlands.
The Blesbokspruit wetland, South Africa: A high altitude wetland under threat
The Blesbokspruit wetland system is a high-altitude Ramsar site of global significance. It is the largest permanent wetland in the Highveld region of South Africa, with significant bird and ecological diversity, in part due to its four open water bodies. Nonetheless, the wetland has been subjected to sustained and extensive environmental degradation associated with agricultural runoff, industrial effluent, mining waste and sewerage discharge. The open water bodies are under threat by Phragmites australis and Typha capensis. This study mapped the open water bodies and found that they have declined in size due to encroaching reed beds. In addition, water quality data was analysed in order to determine water quality. It was found that the water is nutrient enriched although the cessation of gold mining by the upstream Grootvlei mine reduced both the sulphate and conductivity levels significantly. Despite the loss of open water and poor water quality it was found that the site is a statistically significant winter habitat for selected wader birds, namely:
Ecological Indicators, 2021
forest patches became increasingly fragmented, from 511 to 1 145 patches between 2000 and 2017 and that > 23% of the areal extent showed severe transformation. Several faunal species, with a close association to the forested wetlands of the MCP, are considered threatened with numbers declining because of transformation to timber plantations or agriculture and coupled with a prolonged drought. Of these, a sub-species of the Samango monkey, Cercopithecus mitis erythrarchus, considered to be a primary ecosystem engineer of the habitat, was red listed with a restricted distribution, being endemic, Near Threatened and declining. Also under pressure, because of habitat fragmentation and degradation is the Peregrine crab (Varuna litterata), a euryhaline species requiring connectivity across the land-seascape, ranging from freshwater forested wetlands to estuarine and offshore environments. Functionally, these coastal forested wetlands are therefore also considered Critically Endangered. The final IUCN conservation status of South Africa's subtropical-temperate coastal forested wetlands are recommended to be very likely Critically Endangered. Irrespective of 62% of the areal extent of these forested wetlands being within protected areas, severe degradation (metrics of fragmentation and transformation) were observed even inside these areas for the past two decades. The conservation conundrum is that despite existing legislation and management measures, there has been no stop or reversal of the negative trends to date. As a supplementary method, we therefore recommend a transdisciplinary community-based approach to conservation practice, continued and improved monitoring of the habitat losses, the identifying priority areas for rehabilitation and addressing data deficiencies in important species associations.