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A comment on Polish city is using mussels to monitor water quality. Parent comment

Re:Polish city is using mussels to monitor water quality by sznio on Monday February 03, 2025 @06:41AM (#42917224)
You seem to be conflating evolution with learning. Seagulls didn't evolve to steal from trashcans, they learned to.

As for the main point of your question: the clams are replaced every so often, so they won't end up getting used to the city water and stop serving as a marker.

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Re:Polish city is using mussels to monitor water quality by n0rdy on Monday February 03, 2025 @07:42AM (#42917625)
Got it, learning is something that can be acquired relatively quickly, while evolving needs generations. Thanks for the explanation.
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Re:Polish city is using mussels to monitor water quality by grvbck on Monday February 03, 2025 @11:21AM (#42919805)
Valid question though, and the answer to what I think you wanted to know is >3 months:

> the clams are “paid back after three months of work by releasing them to a place from which they will never be caught again”. [---] this is done because they eventually become resistant to contamination in the water.

https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/poznan-mussel-water-plant...

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