Bioaccumulation and
Biomagnification
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Toxin Build-up in Organisms & Food Chains: Bioaccumulation & Biomagnification, Study notes of Biology
The concepts of bioaccumulation and biomagnification, two processes by which toxins are absorbed and concentrated in organisms and food chains. Bioaccumulation refers to the build-up of toxins within an individual organism over its lifetime, while biomagnification occurs when an organism absorbs toxins from other organisms in the food chain, leading to increased concentrations at higher trophic levels. a case study on DDT, a historically used insecticide with harmful effects on both humans and wildlife.
What you will learn
- What is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification?
- What are the health effects of DDT on humans and wildlife?
- How does bioaccumulation occur in organisms?
Typology: Study notes
2021/2022
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Bioaccumulation and
Biomagnification
Bioaccumulation
- (^) Build up of toxins within an organism (often in fatty
tissue)
- (^) Occurs within an individual organism over its
lifetime
- (^) Most likely when a toxin cannot be broken down
or dissolved in water
- (^) longer lived, larger organisms bioaccumulate
more toxins
Bioaccumulation Vs Biomagnification
- (^) Bioaccumulation: happens within individual organisms over their lifetimes
- (^) Biomagnification: happens within a food chain, as organisms at higher trophic levels eat (and absorb the toxins stored in) organisms beneath them
Case Study: DDT
- (^) DDT: historically used as insecticide to control malaria and crop damage; banned in US but still used in other countries
- (^) Biomagnifies in food chain
- (^) In predatory birds: causes egg shells to be so thin that they break when mother bird tries to incubate them
- (^) In humans: cancer, organ damage