Human impacts on ecosystems in the Chibefwe river catchment area in Mkushi district, Zambia
type: CreativeWork
description: xvi ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to assess the impacts of anthropogenic land use activities on river health conditions using aquatic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality in the Chibefwe River Catchment area in Mkushi district, Central Province, Zambia. Three study sites were selected on the Chibefwe River: One near the source of the Chibefwe River (this served as a reference site for the study); The second inside the built-up area of Mkushi town; and the third, just before the confluence of the Chibefwe River with the Lunsemfwa River. At each site the following physicochemical parameters were recorded; pH, water temperature, electro-conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen content and total dissolved solids. The Zambia Invertebrate Scoring System (ZISS) was employed as a standard biomonitoring protocol. The sampling of aquatic macroinvertebrates was done using a one-millimetre kick-sized net, targeting three major biotopes namely; stones, aquatic vegetation and gravel (including sand, mud, silt and clay), if present at the site. Collected specimens were enumerated and identified to family level on-site using the ZISS photographic identification manual. Specimens that could not be identified in the field were preserved in 70% ethanol and taken to the lab for further study and subsequent identification. Data collected was analysed by computing the ZISS score, Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) and the macroinvertebrate species diversity. To identify water and land-based habitats, the latest sentinel two image covering the study area was obtained from the open Copernicus portal and the dataset was subjected to a land cover classification for analysis. Generally, all water quality parameters except pH and Turbidity conformed to the required standards. Macroinvertebrate results in the wet season showed that sites one and three had moderate water quality conditions (with ASPT values of 6.66 and 7.75, respectively). In contrast, an ASPT value of 4…
abstract: xvi ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to assess the impacts of anthropogenic land use activities on river health conditions using aquatic macroinvertebrates as indicators of water quality in the Chibefwe River Catchment area in Mkushi district, Central Province, Zambia. Three study sites were selected on the Chibefwe River: One near the source of the Chibefwe River (this served as a reference site for the study); The second inside the built-up area of Mkushi town; and the third, just before the confluence of the Chibefwe River with the Lunsemfwa River. At each site the following physicochemical parameters were recorded; pH, water temperature, electro-conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen content and total dissolved solids. The Zambia Invertebrate Scoring System (ZISS) was employed as a standard biomonitoring protocol. The sampling of aquatic macroinvertebrates was done using a one-millimetre kick-sized net, targeting three major biotopes namely; stones, aquatic vegetation and gravel (including sand, mud, silt and clay), if present at the site. Collected specimens were enumerated and identified to family level on-site using the ZISS photographic identification manual. Specimens that could not be identified in the field were preserved in 70% ethanol and taken to the lab for further study and subsequent identification. Data collected was analysed by computing the ZISS score, Average Score Per Taxon (ASPT) and the macroinvertebrate species diversity. To identify water and land-based habitats, the latest sentinel two image covering the study area was obtained from the open Copernicus portal and the dataset was subjected to a land cover classification for analysis. Generally, all water quality parameters except pH and Turbidity conformed to the required standards. Macroinvertebrate results in the wet season showed that sites one and three had moderate water quality conditions (with ASPT values of 6.66 and 7.75, respectively). In contrast, an ASPT value of 4…
author: Namafe, Namafe
language: en
keywords: Aquatic macroinvertebrates--Zambia, Ecosystems--Zambia
date published: 2020
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:06:49Z
provider: University of Zimbabwe
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Zambia