{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24854"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/24854","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland","abstract":"Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization.","abstract_html":"Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Cowan, Oliver"],"institution":"Department of Biological Sciences","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Meadows, Michael E","Kirsten, Kelly"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010","date_published":"2010","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:02Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24854","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Meadows, Michael E","Kirsten, Kelly"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Cowan, Oliver"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2017-08-08T06:49:03Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-08-08T06:49:03Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2010"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Department of Biological Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Bachelor Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Honours"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["BSc (Hons.)"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24854"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Meadows, Michael E","Kirsten, Kelly"],"dc:creator":["Cowan, Oliver"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-08-08T06:49:03Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-08-08T06:49:03Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2010"],"dc:description.abstract":["Globally, wetlands are being degraded and destroyed largely as a result of anthropogenic activity. Monitoring and assessment are required to maintain functional ecosystems and the valuable services they provide. Surface sediment cores were taken from 4 points around an urban wetland (Princess Vlei) on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. Diatoms were and used as a proxy for water quality variables to determine whether the diatom flora preserved in organic sediments accumulating in and around an urban wetland is a useful tool in determining the changes in water quality over time. In addition, the project attempts to establish whether there are spatial patterns in diatom flora within a small lake. Diatoms from three depths from each of the four sites were identified, counted and analyzed according to their trophic preferences and pollution tolerances which were acquired from a variety of resources. Results showed clear spatial differences between sites as a result of positioning in relation to effluent input, output and specific site characteristics such as reed stands. Differences between depths were evident although no significant trends were observed. In summation; spatial heterogeneity in the diatom assemblage of an urban wetland reveal that diatoms are suitable indicators of water quality, even within a small system, due to their niche specificity. The project also shows that Princess Vlei remains a eutrophic and polluted wetland, although not uniformly so. Continual monitoring is required to prevent the vlei from becoming a health hazard for the surrounding community and to maintain its ability to act as a buffering zone to protect the Rondevlei nature reserve, as well as acting as a functional ecosystem in an area threatened by urbanization."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/24854"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["Department of Biological Sciences"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:title":["Princess Vlei : what diatoms can tell us about spatial and temporal heterogeneity in an urban wetland"],"dc:type":["Bachelor Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Honours"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["BSc (Hons.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:23:02Z"}