Macdonald, Angus.Miya, Xolisile.2026-05-222026-05-2220252025https://hdl.handle.net/10413/24394Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The uThukela MPA, located on the east coast of South Africa in central part of the Natal Bight region is one of the 22 MPAs declared by the minister of environmental health as part of Operation Phakisa in 2018. The uThukela MPA is a significant area of larval retention used by many local fish species as a spawning and nursery site. Its environmental and biological factors are largely influenced by the oceanographic features such as the Agulhas current, Durban eddy and Richards Bay upwelling cell, and the uThukela River. eDNA is evolving as an effective tool for diversity monitoring. Living organisms leave their genetic material in their environment through the shedding of their hair, scales, skin, blood, and other biological secretions, resulting in a combination of genetic material in the environment known as environmental DNA (eDNA). eDNA makes it possible to detect different species from a single environmental sample through a process known as eDNA metabarcoding. This study aims to use environmental DNA metabarcoding to assess the spatial, temporal, and environmental variation in fish species diversity within the uThukela MPA and surrounding none-protected areas outside the MPA, to add to the growing baseline knowledge of fish species diversity and community composition in the uThukela MPA. This was achieved by assessing spatiotemporal variability in fish diversity and environmental variables at different spatial scales within uThukela MPA and in the nonprotected areas outside the MPA. Water samples were collected from various depths in 12 and 14 reefs inside and outside the uThukela MPA winter of 2012 (June) and 2023 (July) respectively. DNA was extracted from the filtered water samples, amplified using the CO1 mitochondrial gene primers, and then later used to determine the species diversity of the fish community. eDNA detected spatial and temporal variation in alpha and beta diversity in the uThukela MPA at different spatial scales. Environmental variables showed various patterns at different spatial scales. The results indicated hydrodynamic and oceanographic factors are crucial in establishing and maintaining spatial variability and ecological connectivity in the uThukela MPA.eneDNA.Fish diversity.Community Composition.uThukela MPA.Thesis