23/09/2026
FRC research associate Jenny Day, together with Belinda Day, continues to investigate the remarkable aquatic invertebrate communities living in freshwater habitats across the Western Cape.
Their current research spans a diverse range of ecosystems and conservation questions, from monitoring the effects of groundwater abstraction on small streams in the Theewaterskloof–Steenbras area, to documenting the biodiversity of garden ponds in Durbanville.
The team is also studying aquatic invertebrate communities above and below a weir on the Huis River near Barrydale, helping to build understanding of the ecosystem in support of plans to translocate an endangered redfin, as well as investigating zooplankton abundance in ponds at the Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Works Birding Area.
And some of the tiny creatures encountered along the way are fascinating in their own right! These include the water boatman Sidara meridionalis, a tiny caddisfly Oxyethira velocipes that constructs a protective case, and the very rare alderfly Leptosialis africana.
Together, these studies are helping us better understand the often-overlooked biodiversity of our freshwater ecosystems, and how these communities respond to changes in water use, habitat and management.
đź“· Cameron Ewert-Smith
