Which term is the concentration of a substance becoming higher at higher trophic levels?

Which term is the concentration of a substance becoming higher at higher trophic levels?

• A. Bioethanol
• B. Arable farming
• C. Basalt
• D. Biomagnification

Answer: (D)

Biomagnification describes how the concentration of a substance becomes higher as you move up the food chain. When a toxin is persistent and fat-soluble, it isn’t easily broken down or excreted by organisms. Those organisms accumulate it from what they eat, and when a predator eats many contaminated prey, it ends up with a larger buildup. With each step up the chain, the concentration increases, so top predators can have much higher levels than organisms at lower levels. This helps explain why substances like DDT or mercury can have serious effects on wildlife at the highest trophic levels. The other terms don’t fit this pattern: bioethanol is a fuel derived from biomass, not a toxic concentration in organisms; arable farming is agricultural practice; basalt is a rock.

Biomagnification describes how the concentration of a substance becomes higher as you move up the food chain. When a toxin is persistent and fat-soluble, it isn’t easily broken down or excreted by organisms. Those organisms accumulate it from what they eat, and when a predator eats many contaminated prey, it ends up with a larger buildup. With each step up the chain, the concentration increases, so top predators can have much higher levels than organisms at lower levels. This helps explain why substances like DDT or mercury can have serious effects on wildlife at the highest trophic levels.

The other terms don’t fit this pattern: bioethanol is a fuel derived from biomass, not a toxic concentration in organisms; arable farming is agricultural practice; basalt is a rock.