BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

September 2020

WILDNEWS

ProfessorSteve Ormerod

Alifeworkingwith

dippersrevealstheextent

ofplasticpollutioninour

rivers,andhowthose

microplasticsaremaking

theirwaythrough the

food-web.

Co-director of Cardi University’s Water Research Institute

MEET THE SCIENTIST

T

hehumbledipper

hasplayeda leading

roleinOrmerod’s

over30-yearscientific

career.Thebirdfirst

founda specialplace

inhisaffectionssometimebefore

it becameofprofessionalinterest,

probablywhenhisfathertookhim

toseethesalmonjumpthefallson

theRiverRibble,notfarfromhis

Burnleychildhoodhome.Therocky

riverwasthenaturalhauntofthis

busylittlebird– andOrmerod,asit

turnedout.

Whenthedeputychairmanof

NaturalResourcesWalesbegan

hisresearchcareerinthe1980s,

herealisedwhata goodindicator

speciesthedipperwaswhenit came

totheenvironmentalqualityofa

river.Hewasstudyingtheimpact

ofacidraidoninvertebratesandhis

researchwasthefirsttodemonstrate

itsimpactonbirds– it caused them

tolayeggswiththinner

shellsbecauseofthe

lackofcalcium-

richprey.

mustbeingestingtheplasticsthat

areintheirinvertebrateprey.”

Ormerod’sstudyrevealedthat

dipperswereconsumingabout

200 microplasticparticlesa day,

butalmostallofit wastransitory

• it waspassingstraightthrough.
  “Thereis a hugequestionmark
  aboutwhetherit doesanydamage
  asit goesthrough,butallofit is not
  inthempermanently,”hesays.
  Lookingbackonhisworksofar,
  Ormerodreflectsthat“youseeall
  theseincrediblecoincidencesandthe
  logicinthenextstepthatyoutook.”
  Asa youngerman,Ormerod’sPhD
  studiedtheimpactofa dam-building
  projectonthewaterchemistryand
  invertebratecommunitiesofthe
  RiverWyesystem.Coincidentally,
  theRSPBwasstudyingdipper
  populationsontheriversat thesame
  time,andtheyputthedatasets
  togetherandnoticeda correlation.
  “MyPhDsupervisorgrew
  apoplecticbecauseI startedwriting
  papersaboutdippers,whichhad
  nothingtodowithmyPhD,and
  myPhDwasdelayedbyaboutthree
  yearsasa consequence!”Thebigger
  picturehasemergedoverthespan
  of a career.Andrew Griffiths

Therockyriverwasthe

naturalhauntofthisbusy

bird—andOrmerod, as

it turned out.

S

T

BasedatCardiffUniversity,much

ofOrmerod’sresearchis carriedout

ontheSouthWalesriversthatthe

miningindustryhadrenderedthe

mostpollutedonEarth.Therehas

beenanincrediblerecoveryover

thepast 50 years,totheextentthat

salmonhavereturned,butthereis

stilla legacyofthatindustrialpast.

Ormerodreferstodippersasthe

“canaryinthecoalmine”ofthe

riversystem.“Allthisworkis going

onforplasticsintheoceans,but

noone[was]reallylookingatit in

rivers,”hesays.Hislatestresearch

ondippersandmicroplasticsbuilt

onpreviousworkpublishedin 2016

onmicroplasticsandinvertebrates.

“EveryotherinsectintheRiver

Taffsystemwascontaminatedby

plastics,”explainsOrmerod.“Once

dippersareonthosesamerivers,it

becomes almost inevitable that they

Steve: Prof Isabelle Durance; dipper: Andy Rouse/2020VISION/NPL

Ormerodhasa

fascinationwith

thehealthof

riversystemsand

dippers(below).

GlobalChange

Biology:bit.

ly/32B7tO4

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