The physical, chemical, mineralogical, and hydrological properties of three different wetland types in the Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park is largely in a pristine natural state in terms of development, hydrology, soils, and vegetation. However, little characterisation of its wetlands has been done. This paper therefore set out to characterise the vegetation, hydrology, and soils of three wetlands that develope...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wetlands ecology and management 2022-08, Vol.30 (4), p.695-713
Main Authors: van Huyssteen, C. W., Johnson, T. L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Basalt
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Calcium
Cations
Conservation Biology/Ecology
Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Gneiss
Hydrology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Life Sciences
Manganese
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Moisture content
National parks
Organic carbon
Original Paper
Oxidoreductions
Redox potential
Sodium
Soil
Soils
Vegetation
Water Quality/Water Pollution
Wetlands
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Summary:The Kruger National Park is largely in a pristine natural state in terms of development, hydrology, soils, and vegetation. However, little characterisation of its wetlands has been done. This paper therefore set out to characterise the vegetation, hydrology, and soils of three wetlands that developed in three different lithologies. The Malahlapanga, Nshawu, and Tshutshi spruit wetlands selected for this study were underlain by gneiss, basalt, and granite respectively. Four wetness zones were delineated and three replicate transects were identified at each study site. Vegetation was described, while hydrology and redox potential were measured in wells from 19 September 2012 until 28 August 2013 at each wetness zone and replicate. Soils were sampled in 50 mm intervals, analysed and then averaged for the 0–300 mm layer. Malahlapanga and Nshawu had Gleysols, while Tshutshi spruit had Luvisols in the permanent and seasonal zones. Malahlapanga was the only wetland that had high organic carbon contents. The pH measured in water was > 8 for Nshawu and Tshutshi spruit, and between 5 and 8 for Malahlapanga. The wetland zones differed markedly in salinity, with only Tshutshi spruit that could completely be considered non-saline. Calcium dominated as exchangeable cation in all wetlands, but more so in Nshawu, while elevated sodium concentrations were only observed in Nshawu and Tshutshi spruit. The iron and manganese concentrations increased from the permanent to the upland zone for Malahlapanga and Nshawu, but decreased in the same order for Tshutshi spruit. Data presented here therefore provide a valuable reference for other studies conducted at these sites.
ISSN:0923-4861
1572-9834
DOI:10.1007/s11273-022-09883-3