By Pandora Dewan
Senior Science Reporter
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Platypus populations in Australia are becoming increasingly isolated as their habitats are fragmented by human-made dams. As a result, the long-term survival of this distinctive species is falling under threat.
A report in 2020 estimated that the area occupied by the beloved platypus has shrunk by at least 22 percent over the past 30 years. The species has recently been classed as "Near Threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because of its declining populations.
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Large dams, over 30 feet high, pose a major threat to freshwater species, like platypuses, by limiting their migration and altering seasonal flow patterns. In a study, published by the journal Nature Communications Biology, Luis Mijangos and colleagues used DNA analysis to study the impact of dam construction on platypus populations.
"In our study, we use genetic differentiation to give us an idea of whether platypuses are able to get around dams," Mijangos told Newsweek. "We found that genetic differentiation between groups above and below dams were much higher than genetic differentiation between populations in rivers without dams and that this genetic differentiation was increasing linearly across time.
"These results suggest that almost no, or no, platypuses have passed around the dams since they were built, so now we can be more certain that dams are likely impassable barriers for platypuses."
This fragmentation poses a serious threat to the long-term survival of the species. "When there is no connectivity between populations...the ability to recolonise available habitat or migrate to areas with more suitable conditions is restricted," Mijangos said. "Fragmentation also simultaneously reduces both local population size and gene flow, each of which is expected to lead to increased inbreeding and reduction of the genetic variation necessary for adaptation."
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In the face of habitat disruption, pollution, climate change and predation by invasive species, the ability to adapt to new environments is becoming more important than ever before. However, to be able to adapt, a species needs to have a diverse, well-mixed gene pool. When populations become fragmented, this genetic mixing becomes harder to achieve.
The platypus has previously been described as "God's little joke" due to its unusual combination of features: while it has fur and produces milk like a mammal, it also lays eggs and has a bill and webbed feet like a duck; the male platypus produces venom from spurs on its hind legs which, while lethal, may have potential as a treatment for diabetes; its coat glows green under UV light and it uses electroreception to find food underwater.
"Platypuses are arguably the most irreplaceable mammal," Mijangos said.
The study's authors have recommended the introduction of strategies to promote platypus population mixing, such as developing "platypus-ways" to help the animals climb over dams. Water quality and riverbank restoration will also be important, and further research will be required to gain a better understanding of the breeding requirements of this unique species.
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