All flashcards
Flashcard 1: How do higher trophic levels experience greater pollutant concentrations?
Answer: They consume multiple organisms with accumulated pollutants. Each feeding step concentrates pollutants further.
Flashcard 2: How does biomagnification impact biodiversity?
Answer: It can reduce biodiversity by affecting sensitive species. Toxic levels can eliminate pollution-sensitive species.
Flashcard 3: Name a bioindicator species affected by mercury pollution.
Answer: Bald eagle. Top predators show mercury's bioaccumulation effects clearly.
Flashcard 4: What is the impact of PCBs on aquatic life?
Answer: They can cause reproductive and developmental issues. PCBs disrupt hormonal and neural development processes.
Flashcard 5: Which organisms are most affected by biomagnification?
Answer: Top predators in a food chain. They consume many contaminated prey with concentrated pollutants.
Flashcard 6: Identify an example of a persistent organic pollutant (POP).
Answer: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Synthetic chemicals resistant to environmental breakdown.
Flashcard 7: What is bioaccumulation?
Answer: The buildup of substances in an organism over time. Occurs when intake exceeds excretion rates.
Flashcard 8: State the effect of biomagnification on human health.
Answer: It can lead to increased health risks from consuming contaminated food. Higher trophic level foods contain concentrated toxins.
Flashcard 9: Why are apex predators more vulnerable to biomagnification?
Answer: They consume many prey items with accumulated pollutants. Each prey item adds to their total pollutant burden.
Flashcard 10: What is the significance of DDT in the study of biomagnification?
Answer: DDT was one of the first chemicals found to biomagnify significantly. It demonstrated how persistent pesticides affect wildlife populations.
Flashcard 11: How do fat-soluble pollutants enter the food chain?
Answer: Through ingestion by organisms at the base of the food chain. Primary producers absorb pollutants from environmental media.
Flashcard 12: Name a common pollutant that biomagnifies in aquatic systems.
Answer: Mercury. Methylmercury forms in sediments and biomagnifies efficiently.
Flashcard 13: What is the significance of DDT in the study of biomagnification?
Answer: DDT was one of the first chemicals found to biomagnify significantly. It demonstrated how persistent pesticides affect wildlife populations.
Flashcard 14: Identify the process that increases pollutant concentration in each trophic level.
Answer: Biomagnification. Concentrations amplify with each feeding level transfer.
Flashcard 15: Which factor most influences the rate of bioaccumulation?
Answer: Chemical structure and organism's ability to metabolize the substance. Molecular properties determine uptake and elimination rates.
Flashcard 16: Which animal group is most studied for biomagnification effects?
Answer: Fish and marine mammals. Aquatic systems show clear biomagnification patterns.
Flashcard 17: What is the primary method for reducing bioaccumulation?
Answer: Reducing emissions and releases of pollutants. Source control prevents environmental contamination initially.
Flashcard 18: What is bioaccumulation?
Answer: The buildup of substances in an organism over time. Occurs when intake exceeds excretion rates.
Flashcard 19: What role do producers play in bioaccumulation?
Answer: They absorb pollutants from the environment, initiating accumulation. Plants uptake contaminants from soil and water directly.
Flashcard 20: What is the primary method for reducing bioaccumulation?
Answer: Reducing emissions and releases of pollutants. Source control prevents environmental contamination initially.
Flashcard 21: Which chemical property makes a pollutant likely to biomagnify?
Answer: Persistence and fat solubility. These properties prevent elimination and enable storage.
Flashcard 22: Why is biomagnification particularly concerning in marine environments?
Answer: Marine food chains are long, amplifying pollutant concentrations. Extended food chains provide more amplification steps.
Flashcard 23: Which animal group is most studied for biomagnification effects?
Answer: Fish and marine mammals. Aquatic systems show clear biomagnification patterns.
Flashcard 24: Identify a common method for monitoring bioaccumulation in wildlife.
Answer: Tissue analysis for pollutant concentrations. Direct measurement shows pollutant body burdens.
Flashcard 25: Which factor most influences the rate of bioaccumulation?
Answer: Chemical structure and organism's ability to metabolize the substance. Molecular properties determine uptake and elimination rates.
Flashcard 26: List one effect of high levels of DDT in birds.
Answer: Thinning of eggshells, leading to reduced hatching success. DDT metabolites interfere with calcium carbonate deposition.
Flashcard 27: What is the biological half-life of a pollutant?
Answer: The time it takes for half of the pollutant to be eliminated from the organism. Longer half-lives mean greater accumulation potential.
Flashcard 28: Define biomagnification.
Answer: The increase in concentration of a substance in a food chain. Concentrations multiply as you move up trophic levels.
Flashcard 29: Explain why fat-soluble substances accumulate more in organisms.
Answer: They are stored in fatty tissues and not easily excreted. Lipophilic compounds accumulate in adipose tissue long-term.
Flashcard 30: Explain why water-soluble pollutants are less likely to biomagnify.
Answer: They are more easily excreted by organisms. Water solubility enables kidney filtration and removal.