Question

Biomagnification and eutrophication

Answer 1

Answer:

Biomagnification, also known as bioamplification or biological magnification, is the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of tolerant organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain. This increase can occur as a result of:

Persistence – where the substance cannot be broken down by environmental processes

Food chain energetics – where the substance's concentration increases progressively as it moves up a food chain

Low or non-existent rate of internal degradation or excretion of the substance – mainly due to water-insolubility

Eutrophication(from Greek eutrophos, "well-nourished"),[1] or hypertrophication, is when a body of water becomes overly enriched with minerals and nutrients which induce excessive growth of algae.[2] This process may result in oxygen depletion of the water body.[3] One example is an "algal bloom" or great increase of phytoplankton in a water body as a response to increased levels of nutrients. Eutrophication is often induced by the discharge of nitrate or phosphate-containing detergents, fertilizers, or sewage into an aquatic system.