AP Environmental Science / Unit 8: Aquatic and Terrestrial Pollution
8.8 Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification
Notes
- Bioaccumulation: a toxin builds up in an organism over its life.
- Biomagnification: toxin concentration increases at each higher trophic level.
- Mercury and DDT are classic examples (DDT thinned eagle eggshells).
Practice
Which organism likely has the highest mercury concentration?
Biomagnification.
DDT harmed bald eagles by:
Eggs broke.
Bioaccumulation refers to:
Within an individual.
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