Sub-lethal impacts of coal mine wastewater: Exploring behavioural responses in native aquatic organisms

Coal mining represents a primary economic activity in Australia, but wastewater resulting from the extraction and refinement of coal can present risks for aquatic ecosystems. It is, therefore, imperative that the impacts of coal mine water releases on aquatic ecosystems are fully understood. The broad objectives of this thesis are to provide information on the potential toxicity and sub-lethal effects of coal mine wastewater on a range of native macroinvertebrate, amphibian, and fish species that are directly relevant to Central Queensland. In particular, the project evaluates the use of behavioural analysis as a tool for monitoring possible sub-lethal effects of wastewater releases on these organisms.