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Chile's uncommon salt flat fish deals with threat from lithium mining project

At more than 3,700 meters (12,000 feet) above water level, the karachi. swims happily in thick salt flat waters, however residents worry a. future lithium task will threaten this extremeenvironment. fish.

The Orestias ascotanensis is a little ray-finned fish that. grows to simply 7.5 centimeters (3 inches), however has actually adjusted to the. Ascotan salt flat's high concentrations of heavy metals and. variable salinity.

The salt flat likewise sees high solar radiation and temperature level. variations that reach 26 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit) throughout the day. and below freezing in the evening, according to Marco Mendez, a. teacher at the University of Chile who studies evolutionary. biology.

Scientists at the Millennium Institute's genome center have. been studying the fish and found genes that allow it to withstand. each element of its hostile environment, from solar radiation to. heavy metals to low oxygen levels.

The fish has actually also evolved to do it rapidly.

We have actually seen how they've done this in a brief evolutionary. time due to the fact that there are other variations of this fish in less. hostile environments, said Miguel Allende, director of the. institute.

They've taken these genes and intensified them.

While the fish can survive extreme environments, it still. needs an environment to reside in and homeowners state copper mining. has reduced the fish population due to water extraction.

That's what's hurting them, when they take the water, the. fish die, said Mauricio Anza, a regional homeowner, who stated people. in the location are working to preserve the locations flora and fauna.

But Ascotan is likewise among the salt flats where the. government plans to release a private lithium mining project,. something residents and professionals say need to feature guarantees to. secure the community.

Mining activity, while essential from a financial point of. view, must be performed with the goal of guaranteeing that this. very particular environment is not lost permanently, Allende stated.

(source: Reuters)