Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean • Hacker News Board

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#31

Post by hrrsn » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 1:04 AM UTC

mrlala wrote: post #28

Frost1x wrote: post #21

It's a pretty cheap sensor that can potentially detect all sorts of toxins in the water as a supplement to normal water quality analysis. You really can't expect any sort of reasonable sensor technologies to detect wide ranges of potentially harmful contaminants in water supplies while you can use mussels, clams, etc. as biological sensors--the modern "canary in a coal mine." I worked with a research project that was…

What kind of "feedback" do you get from the mussels in a polluted environment? Is it death or something more interesting?

>Mussels open the shells and every now and then take in a small amount of water, filtering out everything that is suitable for eating. When the water is polluted, they do their best to separate from it, and everyone’s shells just close at the same time. This happens within two minutes. If two or three clams close, it doesn’t have to mean anything, but if there are eight, it’s an alarm. Then our role is to find out what has upset them so much and find out if it is a real or a false alarm – says Podolski.

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#32

Post by danielheath » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 1:32 AM UTC

dukeofdoom wrote: post #25

dccoolgai wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The water being crystal clear looks cool, but it's an ecological disaster for larger fish in the food chain that depend on the turbidity of the water for ambushing smaller fish.

Thats probably True. But to what extent will nature mitigate this, and offset the negative with positives. For example: 1) Clearer water means that light reaches deeper. Potentially allowing more aquatic plants to grow over huge new areas. Providing new habitat, food sources and shelter for fish. 2) Zebra mussels might trap some chemicals like PCBs. And accumulate them in their shells. Once the mussel dies, they fall…

Eventually, sure. Not on human timescales, though. The new habitat is for species that don’t exist in that lake (since it’s full of fish adapted to how it was).

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#33

Post by mmhsieh » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:06 AM UTC

Fireflies serve a similar kind of function; they only thrive in low-pollution areas.

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#34

Post by bourgoin » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:13 AM UTC

brnt wrote: post #10

smiley1437 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

3 teams of 8 clams (mussels) If the water quality is normal, the clams open and close randomly. If all 8 clams close, something is off with the water and prompts more investigation. They get the clams from a nearby lake, and somewhat comfortingly, they retire them back to the lake when they've done a tour of duty. They're even marked so they don't reuse the same clams! Nice to hear that they don't just euthanize them…

It's not a sign of softness that you take a (minimal) effort to save a lifeform (that was useful to you). It's basic humanity, for lack of a better term (animality?).

Maybe "animal husbandry" is the term you're looking for?

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#35

Post by baldfat » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:18 AM UTC

Zebra Clams are changing the Great Lakes. Pretty much changing the whole ecosystem.

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#36

Post by studius » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:33 AM UTC

mrlala wrote: post #28

Frost1x wrote: post #21

It's a pretty cheap sensor that can potentially detect all sorts of toxins in the water as a supplement to normal water quality analysis. You really can't expect any sort of reasonable sensor technologies to detect wide ranges of potentially harmful contaminants in water supplies while you can use mussels, clams, etc. as biological sensors--the modern "canary in a coal mine." I worked with a research project that was…

What kind of "feedback" do you get from the mussels in a polluted environment? Is it death or something more interesting?

Whatever it is, it seems like we should put some GPS and transmitters on those clams and put them online.

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#37

Post by RamshackleJ » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:33 AM UTC

dccoolgai wrote: post #22

dukeofdoom wrote: post #18

Maybe they could have alerted about the lead contaminated water in Flint Michigan? A disaster that will affect the next generation. Lead Lowers IQ's in Children and increase crime rate in adults. BTW, the invasive Zebra mussels have done a great job clearing up the Great Lakes. At times the water is so clear on a sunny day in the summer it can look tropical blue.

The water being crystal clear looks cool, but it's an ecological disaster for larger fish in the food chain that depend on the turbidity of the water for ambushing smaller fish.

wrong. The great lakes has been an ecological experiment since the St. Lawrence seaway was opened and continued to be that when the Chicago river was reversed.

There are almost no "native" species left in any of the lakes (excluding superior).

If you want sustainable native great lakes ecology you need to cut them off from the oceans, re-reverse the flow of the Chicago and do a one-off massive trout and other native fish stocking. None of that is ever going to happen so until then we can keep experimenting with ecology and in that case Zebra muscles is much better than massive population booms and busts of alewives or other invasive fish species (Salmon were originally introduced to help keep the alewife population down)

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#38

Post by girvo » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:36 AM UTC

studius wrote: post #36

mrlala wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of "feedback" do you get from the mussels in a polluted environment? Is it death or something more interesting?

Whatever it is, it seems like we should put some GPS and transmitters on those clams and put them online.

IoM: Internet of mollusks.

I know we’re being tongue in cheek, but I do wonder if there is anyway to actually use them as online sensors without causing too much undue harm?

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#39

Post by RamshackleJ » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:38 AM UTC

baldfat wrote: post #35

Zebra Clams are changing the Great Lakes. Pretty much changing the whole ecosystem.

Changing it from one invasive species dominated ecology to a different invasive species dominated ecology.

at least the new invasive ecology has clean water.

Re: Clams filter the water and check whether the water is polluted or clean

#40

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Dec 31, 2020, 2:38 AM UTC

hrrsn wrote: post #31

mrlala wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of "feedback" do you get from the mussels in a polluted environment? Is it death or something more interesting?

>Mussels open the shells and every now and then take in a small amount of water, filtering out everything that is suitable for eating. When the water is polluted, they do their best to separate from it, and everyone’s shells just close at the same time. This happens within two minutes. If two or three clams close, it doesn’t have to mean anything, but if there are eight, it’s an alarm. Then our role is to find out wh…

[deleted]