Biological monitoring of reservoirs is important in assessing aquatic health. This study aimed at assessing the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in relation to physicochemical parameters along Sanyati basin shoreline in Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. Six sites (S1 to S6) characterized by various human disturbances were sampled for physicochemical parameters and benthic macroinvertebrates from January to March 2018. We computed macroinvertebrate metrics and classified them into functional feeding groups (FFGs). A canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) triplot was constructed to assess species-physicochemical relations. Significant differences across the sampling sites were observed for pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N), total nitrogen (TN), phosphate-phosphorus (PO4-P), total phosphates (TP), and dissolved oxygen (DO). The results from CCA highlighted that S1 was generally associated with high pH, NH4-N, and TN, and Oligochaeta, Syrphidae, and Hydrophilidae families. The highest percentage of EPT taxa (39.83%) was recorded at S6, while the lowest was recorded at S1. The taxa were made up of 50% predators, 26% collector-gatherers, 6% scrappers, 6% shredders, and 3% collector-filters with 3 taxa (Chironomidae, Hydropsychidae, and Leptoceridae) having more than two FFGs. Site S1 had a significantly higher mean abundance of collector-gatherers than the other sites. A high correlation between water parameters and SASS and ASPT scores was observed indicating their ability to detect environmental changes. These findings suggest that macroinvertebrate communities are good candidates for delineating the effects of industrial pollution on water quality.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.