Question

What is meant by biological magnification? With the help of a food chain, explain how biological​ magnification of harmful chemicals can occur.​

Answer 1

Biological magnification is the accumulation of increased concentration of harmful chemicals like pesticides in the body of organisms with the increase in trophic levels.​

​ These pesticides or other harmful chemicals enter the food chain at the producer level.​

Consider the following food chain:​

Crops → Grasshopper → Frog → Snake → Eagle​

Grass is the producer in the given food chain and the pesticides are sprayed on crops.​

The pesticides thus get into the soil and are absorbed by the plants and this then passes through the food chain.​

At the highest trophic level, eagle in this particular food chain, the concentration of pesticides will be maximum.​

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