Our principal focus is the use of indigenous riverine biota in aquatic ecotoxicology applied within the implementation of the National Water Act (No 36 of 1998) which provides for water resource management through Resource directed measures (e.g. the ecological Reserve, and aquatic ecosystem guidelines) and Source directed controls (e.g. effluent standards, and effluent discharge licenses

Specific research being undertaken supporting the above includes:

• The application of biochemical markers (stress proteins, acetylcholinesterase, lipid peroxidation and DNA strand breakage) to the development of water quality guidelines
• The development of indigenous algae toxicity tests
• Refining the use of diatom biomonitoring for the heavy mineral mining industry
• Investigating the use of microbial biomonitoring as an indicator of anthropogenic pollution
• Investigating endocrine disruption in local aquatic macroinvertebrates
• Assessing suitable toxicity tests for application in DEEEP methodology (direct toxicity assessment of effluents)
• Linking bioremediation of effluent discharges to water resources management
• Investigating physiological responses to stress such as osmolality, respiration, growth and reproduction
• Investigating the link between water quality and quantity

Last Modified: Wed, 23 Feb 2022 16:28:09 SAST