Question

What is Biological Magnification?

Answer 1

Hint: Biological magnification has been proven to have a negative impact on various living organisms and the environment. These include the destruction of coral reefs, disruption of food chains, impact on human health, and the reproduction and development of marine creatures.

Complete solution:
“Biomagnification or biological magnification is defined as the process of accumulation of certain chemicals in living organisms to a concentration higher than that occurring in the inorganic, non-living environment.”
Substances such as heavy metals and pesticides work their way into oceans, lakes, and rivers and then move up into the food chain in a progressively greater concentration. This is achieved by being incorporated into the diets of aquatic organisms such as zooplankton. Zooplanktons in return are consumed by fishes and other small aquatic animals which in turn are eaten by big fishes, large birds, humans, or animals. As the substances move up the food chain they become increasingly concentrated in tissues or internal organs of the organisms. This occurs because living organisms take in contaminated water, food, or air which are slowly metabolized or excreted.
Bioaccumulants are toxic substances that are released into the soil, rivers, lakes, and seas. These include agricultural pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers which contain trace amounts of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, and copper which cause health issues in aquatic organisms and humans. Bioaccumulants also include toxic substances and gaseous emissions released by industries and factories that pollute the environment which eventually enter the food chain.

Note: Mining activities are carried out in the oceans to extract metals like aluminum, cobalt, silver, zinc, and gold. Large amounts of Selenium and sulfide is generated during the mining process, which is deposited in the water. This destroys the coastal regions and the marine habitat as these toxic substances are also absorbed by the aquatic organism higher in the food chain.