Depressional wetlands are highly vulnerable to changes in land surface temperature and rainfall but little is known about their responses to future climate change. This study assessed the variation in edaphic factors between wetlands and along their littoral gradients to detect the boundary between the endorheic wetlands and upland zones. A sample of 202 paired measurements of three edaphic factors were collected (Soil Moisture Content – SMC-g/g, Bulk Density – BD-g/cm ³ and Salinity as Electrical Conductivity – EC-dS/m) in 10 m plots along 14 belt transects in eight representative wetlands in the Mpumalanga Lake District, South Africa. In general, there were significant differences between the eight wetlands for SMC and BD but not for EC.SMC and BD generally showed negative trends along the littoral gradients. The trends occurred over short distances, ranging from 30 to 70 m, reflecting the extent of the wetlands. Understanding of the spatial variation of edaphic factors helps in the management and monitoring of depressional wetlands under a changing climate. In addition, the study showed that the current wetland buffer zone stipulated in local legislation was too narrow and recommended that this be extended to 100 m.

洼地湿地极易受到地表温度和降雨量变化的影响，但人们对其对未来气候变化的反应知之甚少。本研究评估了湿地之间及其沿岸梯度土壤因子的变化，以检测内陆湿地和高地带之间的边界。收集了三个土壤因子的 202 个配对测量样本（土壤水分含量 – SMC-g/g，堆积密度 – BD-g/cm ³和盐度作为电导率 - EC-dS/m）在南非普马兰加湖区 8 个代表性湿地的 14 个带状断面的 10 m 样地中。总的来说，SMC 和 BD 的 8 个湿地之间存在显着差异，但 EC 没有。SMC 和 BD 沿着沿海梯度普遍呈现负趋势。趋势发生在短距离内，范围从 30 到 70 m，反映了湿地的范围。了解土壤因子的空间变化有助于在气候变化下管理和监测洼地湿地。此外，研究表明，目前地方立法规定的湿地缓冲区太窄，建议将其扩展到100 m。