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menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6288"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/protecting-and-improving-bank-habitats/">Bank habitats</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6289" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6289"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/instream-woody-habitat-logs-and-branches/">Instream wood</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6290" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6290"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/managing-stormwater-drainage/">Stormwater drainage</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6287" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6287"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-drought-refuges/">Drought refuges</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6295" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6295"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/culverts-pipes-and-grilles/">Culverts & pipes</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6297" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6297"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/weir-walls-and-fishways/">Weirs & fishways</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6296" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6296"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/walking-tracks-viewing-platforms-bridges-and-street-lighting/">Paths & lights</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6293" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6293"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/use-of-heavy-machinery-in-and-near-waterways/">Use of heavy equipment</a></li> <li id="menu-item-6298" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-6298"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/pumps-and-small-scale-hydropower-generators/">Pumps & generators</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-11698" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-11698"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-biology/">Platypus Biology</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-11651" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11651"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-vital-statistics/">Vital statistics</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11652" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11652"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-fur-colour-and-general-features/">General features and fur colour</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11653" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11653"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/the-platypus-bill-push-rods-and-electroreception/">The bill and its senses</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11654" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11654"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-vision-and-hearing/">Vision and hearing</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11655" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11655"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-body-temperature/">Body temperature</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11656" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11656"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-venom-and-spurs/">Venom and spurs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11657" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11657"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-genetics-and-dispersal/">Genetics and dispersal</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11658" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11658"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-sleep-and-dreaming/">Sleep and dreaming</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-1999" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-1999"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/ecology-behaviour/">Platypus Ecology & Behaviour</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-11666" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11666"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-foraging-behaviour/">Foraging behaviour</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11667" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11667"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-diet-and-food-consumption/">Diet and food consumption</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11668" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11668"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-home-range-movements-and-dispersal/">Home range and movements</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11669" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11669"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-burrows/">Burrows</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11670" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11670"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-reproduction/">Reproduction</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11671" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11671"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-courtship-mating-and-nest-building/">Courtship, mating and nest-building</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11672" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11672"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-communication/">Communication</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11673" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11673"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-mortality-factors/">Mortality factors</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-2003" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-2003"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/evolution-names/">Names & Evolution</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-11638" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11638"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-names-including-whats-the-plural-of-platypus/">Names (including “What’s the plural of platypus?”)</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11640" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11640"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/the-platypuss-fossil-history/">Fossil history</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11641" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11641"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/echidnas-the-other-modern-monotremes/">Echidnas – the other modern monotremes</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-2001" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-2001"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/distribution-numbers/">Platypus Status</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-12577" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12577"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/conservation-status/">Platypus conservation status</a></li> <li id="menu-item-12578" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12578"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/distribution/">Platypus distribution</a></li> <li id="menu-item-12576" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12576"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/population-size-and-density/">Platypus abundance</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-1998" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-1998"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/faqs/">FAQs & Myths</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-12574" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12574"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/some-platypus-faqs/">Some platypus FAQs</a></li> <li id="menu-item-12575" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-12575"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/platypus-myths/">Some platypus myths</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-11819" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-has-children menu-item-11819"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-master/">Rakali</a> <ul class="sub-menu"> <li id="menu-item-11774" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11774"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-size-and-general-features/">Size and general features</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11793" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11793"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-distribution-and-habitats/">Distribution and habitats</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11770" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11770"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-names-and-origin/">Names and origin</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11785" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11785"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-spatial-use-and-shelter-sites/">Spatial use and shelter sites</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11779" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11779"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-diet-and-foraging-behaviour/">Diet and foraging behaviour</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11782" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11782"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-reproduction/">Reproduction</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11789" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11789"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/rakali-conservation-status-and-concerns/">Rakali conservation status</a></li> <li id="menu-item-11791" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-11791"><a href="https://platypus.asn.au/coexistence-of-rakali-and-platypus/">Coexistence of rakali and platypus</a></li> </ul> </li> <li id="menu-item-19" class="menu-item menu-item-type-post_type menu-item-object-page menu-item-privacy-policy menu-item-19"><a rel="privacy-policy" href="https://platypus.asn.au/about/">About the Conservancy</a></li> <li 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</div> </header> <div id="content" class="site-content"> <div id="primary" class="content-area"> <main id="main" class="site-main" role="main"> <article id="post-11945" class="post-11945 page type-page status-publish hentry"> <header class="entry-header"> <h2 class="entry-title">Water quality and the platypus</h2> </header> <div class="entry-content"> <div class="featured-image"> </div> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="aligncenter size-full is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="455" height="341" data-attachment-id="1920" data-permalink="https://platypus.asn.au/conservation-issues/olin-beresfordrd-look-d-s/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/olin-beresfordrd-look-d.s.jpg?fit=455%2C341&ssl=1" data-orig-size="455,341" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Olin BeresfordRd look d.s" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/olin-beresfordrd-look-d.s.jpg?fit=300%2C225&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/olin-beresfordrd-look-d.s.jpg?fit=455%2C341&ssl=1" class="wp-image-1920" style="width: 571px; height: auto;" src="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/olin-beresfordrd-look-d.s.jpg?resize=455%2C341&ssl=1" alt="Platypus abundance drops in urban water courses partly because of poor water quality." /></figure></div> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f91a9952ba11fb7ea4a1b5124dceeab2">Research has shown that platypus abundance is negatively related to dissolved nutrients (nitrogen and especially phosphorus) in urban creek water, as well as toxic metals (zinc, lead and cadmium) in bottom sediment (Serena and Pettigrove 2005). In other words, fewer platypus occur where nutrient levels and/or toxic metal concentrations are high. This pattern most likely reflects the harmful effects of these pollutants on aquatic insects (the platypus’s main food source). It’s also possible (though not proven) that metals could become directly toxic to platypus by accumulating in their tissues over time. Similarly, it’s been suggested (but not proven) that platypus in urban creeks may be harmed by eating aquatic insects that contain traces of human medications (Richmond et al. 2018).</p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f1d9f43f61e1ecbc221357aa979eed3c">The amount of fine sediment carried in water after storms (technically, the 90<sup>th</sup> percentile of total suspended solids) is also negatively related to platypus abundance (Serena and Pettigrove 2005). Given that a platypus normally shuts its eyes underwater, this is unlikely to be due to the water being murky. Instead, suspended solids are likely to contribute to unconsolidated fine sediment on the channel bed that provides poor habitat for most of the aquatic insects eaten by a platypus. High suspended sediment levels can also trigger mass downstream migration of aquatic insects, reducing the density of platypus prey by more than half in 24 hours (Culp 1986).</p> <div class="wp-block-image"> <figure class="alignright size-full is-resized"><img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="748" height="915" data-attachment-id="2851" data-permalink="https://platypus.asn.au/conservation-issues/bill-ken-mival/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bill-ken-mival.jpg?fit=1628%2C1992&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1628,1992" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"5.6","credit":"KEN_MIVAL","camera":"PENTAX K-1","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1555746011","copyright":"K_MIVAL","focal_length":"105","iso":"3200","shutter_speed":"0.005","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="bill (Ken Mival)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bill-ken-mival.jpg?fit=245%2C300&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bill-ken-mival.jpg?fit=748%2C915&ssl=1" class="wp-image-2851" style="width: 230px; height: auto;" src="https://i0.wp.com/platypus.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bill-ken-mival.jpg?resize=748%2C915&ssl=1" alt="Platypus bill electroreceptors are believed to work best where salinity is low." /></figure></div> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-fe42500fddf7e31509d010569536f094">The bill electroreceptors used by a platypus to navigate underwater and locate its prey are believed to work over a limited salinity range and presumably perform best in fresh water. Although these animals don’t permanently inhabit salty estuaries, they are known to occupy water bodies where salinity in summer can sometimes reach 10,000 to 14,000 Electrical Conductivity units (1 EC unit = 1 microsiemens per centimetre) (APC unpub. data). To put this in perspective, horses and sheep can respectively tolerate up to around 9,000 and 15,000 EC units of salt in their drinking water without losing condition. The salinity of ocean water is typically 51,500 EC units.</p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-3c50f305db3e3f17c06137be1147d645"><strong>You can help to maintain (or improve) water quality in creeks and rivers through the following actions: </strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><span style="color: #000000;">Avoid washing motor vehicles on impermeable surfaces (such as driveways or carparks), especially if the soapy water runs off to a concrete gutter or stormwater drain.</span></li> <li><span style="color: #000000;">Be sparing in your application of lawn fertiliser or herbicides and pesticides, particularly if substantial rain is likely to fall in the near future.</span></li> <li><span style="color: #000000;">Use low phosphate or phosphate-free detergents to wash dishes and clothes.</span></li> <li><span style="color: #000000;">Never dispose of household chemicals (lubricants, preservatives, solvents, cleansers, paints, etc.) by pouring them down a gutter, drain or toilet – instead, consult your local council’s website to find out how to recycle or dispose of chemicals in an environmentally friendly manner.</span></li> <li><span style="color: #000000;">If your home has a septic system, don’t overload it (for example, by doing too many loads of washing in one day) and arrange for the tank to be cleaned out at appropriate intervals.</span></li> </ul> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-83f411042ac84135e4202314333218de"><em>Photos courtesy of Ken Mival (below); APC (above) </em></p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-0ff9be3aa312eb2913bbe1dbd8502c15"><strong>LITERATURE CITED</strong></p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7813ba5d7e1e4dbe0fe5be237a47309d"><em>Culp JM, Wrona FJ and Davies RW (1986) Response of stream benthos and drift to fine sediment deposition versus transport. Canadian Journal of Zoology 64, 1345-1351.</em></p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-65190aa9a182f45294ac3616c94c1b30"><em>Serena M and Pettigrove V (2005) Relationship of sediment toxicants and water quality to the distribution of platypus population in urban streams. Freshwater Science 24, 679-689.</em></p> <p class="has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-e8f0d9631c721a50e4c1c81ae96a7508"><em>Richmond EK, Rosi EJ, Walters DM, Fick J, Hamilton SK, Brodin T, Sundelin A and Grace MR (2018) A diverse suite of pharmaceuticals contaminates stream and riparian food webs. 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