Question

Persistent pesticides such as DDT pass into food chain and increase the amount per unit weight of organisms due to their accumulation of fat. This phenomenon is called

• A. Biodegradation
• B. Biomagnification
• C. Biosynthesis
• D. Decomposition

Answer 1

The correct option is B Biomagnification

Biomagnification refers to the phenomenon of the increasing concentration of a substance,
such as a toxic chemical - say DDT - in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain.
This becomes particularly more relevant if the substance - like DDT - cannot be broken down by environmental processes
easily. Such pesticides eventually persist their way into lakes, rivers, and the oceans. They get consumed
by zooplankton which might be consumed by shrimps and other small fishes.

Bigger fishes which survive on these shrimps and small fishes have a higher concentration of the toxin in
their tissues and internal organs. Eventually, when humans consume big fishes, the concentration of the
said substance in human tissues and organs becomes increasingly higher. This can cause adverse effects
like cancer and organ failure among others.