Biological Magnification

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Biological Magnification
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Biological Magnification

• The process whereby certain substances such as
  pesticides or heavy metals collect in the bodies
  of organisms in progressively higher
  concentrations as it moves up the food chain
• This is OPPOSITE to how energy moves up the food
  chain!

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• Depending on their chemical composition,
  substances are either water or fat soluble
• Water soluble substances are easily excreted by
  the body in various ways (digestive process,
  sweating, feces, urine) Ex alcohol
• Fat soluble substances are not easily excreted
  and tend to be stored in bodily tissues Ex
  parasites, pesticides, heavy metals, food
  additives, pollutants

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• As you move up the food chain the organisms
  progressively store more of the toxic substance
  in their body tissues by eating the organisms in
  the trophic level below them
• Generally, as you move up the food chain, the
  animals get larger and need to eat more to
  sustain themselves

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Example

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Units parts per million (ppm)

• 1 ppm equals 0.0001 percent
• 1 ppm is equivalent to 1 milligram of something
  per liter of liquid