Which statement about biomagnification is correct?

Which statement about biomagnification is correct?

• A. It affects only aquatic species
• B. It does not occur with DDT
• C. It results in accumulation of chemicals up the food chain
• D. It reduces persistence of pollutants

Answer: (C)

Biomagnification is the buildup of a pollutant to higher concentrations as it moves from prey to predator up the food chain. A persistent, fat-soluble chemical that’s not easily broken down tends to accumulate in an organism’s tissues. When a predator eats many prey carrying the pollutant, the compound concentrates more in the predator than in the prey, and this effect compounds with each step up the chain. That’s why top predators and even humans who consume seafood can end up with much higher body burdens than the ambient environmental levels. This concept fits the statement describing accumulation up the food chain. Other statements don’t fit: it affects more than aquatic species, since terrestrial wildlife can also accumulate pollutants; it does occur with DDT (a classic example); and it relies on the pollutant’s persistence rather than reducing it—biomagnification depends on chemicals that linger in the environment and in organisms.

Biomagnification is the buildup of a pollutant to higher concentrations as it moves from prey to predator up the food chain. A persistent, fat-soluble chemical that’s not easily broken down tends to accumulate in an organism’s tissues. When a predator eats many prey carrying the pollutant, the compound concentrates more in the predator than in the prey, and this effect compounds with each step up the chain. That’s why top predators and even humans who consume seafood can end up with much higher body burdens than the ambient environmental levels.

This concept fits the statement describing accumulation up the food chain. Other statements don’t fit: it affects more than aquatic species, since terrestrial wildlife can also accumulate pollutants; it does occur with DDT (a classic example); and it relies on the pollutant’s persistence rather than reducing it—biomagnification depends on chemicals that linger in the environment and in organisms.