Biomagnification
It is also known as bioamplification or biological
magnification
It is the increase in concentration of a pollutant that occurs
in a food chain as a consequence of:
1.Persistence (can't be broken down by environmental
processes)
2. Bioenergetics in the food chain
3.Low rate of internal degradation/excretion of the
substance often due to water-insolubility
,•Biomagnification occurs when substances such as pesticides
or heavy metals move up the food chain by working their way
into the environment.
•e.g. Pollutants in rivers or lakes are taken up by
microorganisms like plankton and are eaten by aquatic
organisms such as fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds,
animals and humans. The substances become concentrated
in tissues or internal organs as they move up the chain.
,As a result,organisms at the top of the food chain
generally suffer greater harm from a persistent toxin or
pollutant than those at lower levels
Because
•At each level of the food chain there is a lot of energy
loss, a predator must consume many prey, including all of
their lipophilic substances and fats which carries the
pollutant, which then accumulates in the fats of the
predator.
,
It is also known as bioamplification or biological
magnification
It is the increase in concentration of a pollutant that occurs
in a food chain as a consequence of:
1.Persistence (can't be broken down by environmental
processes)
2. Bioenergetics in the food chain
3.Low rate of internal degradation/excretion of the
substance often due to water-insolubility
,•Biomagnification occurs when substances such as pesticides
or heavy metals move up the food chain by working their way
into the environment.
•e.g. Pollutants in rivers or lakes are taken up by
microorganisms like plankton and are eaten by aquatic
organisms such as fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds,
animals and humans. The substances become concentrated
in tissues or internal organs as they move up the chain.
,As a result,organisms at the top of the food chain
generally suffer greater harm from a persistent toxin or
pollutant than those at lower levels
Because
•At each level of the food chain there is a lot of energy
loss, a predator must consume many prey, including all of
their lipophilic substances and fats which carries the
pollutant, which then accumulates in the fats of the
predator.
,
