Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Prepare for your exams
Study with the several resources on Docsity
Earn points to download
Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan
Community
Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts
Discover the best universities in your country according to Docsity users
Free resources
Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors
Biomagnification refers to the increased concentration of a toxic chemical the higher an animal is on the food chain.
Typology: Study notes
1 / 3
This page cannot be seen from the preview
Don't miss anything!
Bald eagle_________
A quatic insects________
_
Crayfish ________
_
Osprey _________
Large fish ________
_
_________ Rodent
Seal_________
A quatic plant________
_
Small fish _________
Seabird _________
Northern Harrier ________
_
USGS Data Exploration Unit: Lesson 2 Activity Food Webs and Bioaccumulation (KEY)
Introduction
In this activity you are going to analyze a food web to determine which organisms in the food chain accumulate the greatest concentration of chemicals in their tissues and consider which organisms in a food web might be most affected by the introduction of a toxic chemical to their habitat. You will need to refer to your class notes to complete this activity.
When an animal consumes food having DDT residue, the DDT accumulates in the tissue of the animal by a process called bioaccumulation. The higher an animal is on the food chain (e.g. tertiary consumer such as seals), the greater the concentration of DDT in their body as a result of a process called biomagnification. In this activity you will identify the way in which DDT might move through a food chain.
Based on the food chain relationships denoted by the arrows in the food web diagram, label each plant/animal with one of the following labels: primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer or tertiary consumer. Next rank the relative concentration of DDE in each plant/animal using the following scale: 1 = lowest concentration - 10 = highest concentration. Finally, answer the five questions following the food web diagram.
Questions
Bioaccumulation refers to the accumulation of a toxic chemical in the tissue of a particular organism. Biomagnification refers to the increased concentration of a toxic chemical the higher an animal is on the food chain.
Tertiary consumers – Tertiary consumers are more susceptible to problems from DDE because of biomagnification.
Ospreys primarily feed on fish and are the top predators/tertiary consumers of an aquatic food chain. DDT tends to run off land into water ecosystems. Thus water ecosystems tend to be more contaminated then land ecosystems. Fish easily take up DDT and store DDE in their bodies. Ospreys eat these fish and are exposed to high levels of DDE. Northern harriers are top predators of a shorter, terrestrial
