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Biomagnification

Biomagnification refers to the increasing concentration of pollutants that occurs as they move up the food chain. Persistent pollutants that are soluble in fats accumulate in the tissues of organisms and are passed on to higher level predators. This results in organisms at the top of food chains facing greater harm from even small environmental concentrations of toxins. Examples include heavy metals like mercury accumulating in predatory fish and birds through their diet of contaminated prey. The biomagnification of pollutants poses health risks and is a concern for ecosystems and human populations that rely on food from the top of food chains.

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369 views

Biomagnification

Biomagnification refers to the increasing concentration of pollutants that occurs as they move up the food chain. Persistent pollutants that are soluble in fats accumulate in the tissues of organisms and are passed on to higher level predators. This results in organisms at the top of food chains facing greater harm from even small environmental concentrations of toxins. Examples include heavy metals like mercury accumulating in predatory fish and birds through their diet of contaminated prey. The biomagnification of pollutants poses health risks and is a concern for ecosystems and human populations that rely on food from the top of food chains.

Uploaded by

Iqra Ijaz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Biomagnification

It is also known as bioamplification or biological


magnification

It is the increase in concentration of a pollutant that occurs


in a food chain as a consequence of:
1.Persistence (can't be broken down by environmental
processes)
2. Bioenergetics in the food chain
3.Low rate of internal degradation/excretion of the
substance often due to water-insolubility
•Biomagnification occurs when substances such as pesticides
or heavy metals move up the food chain by working their way
into the environment.

•e.g. Pollutants in rivers or lakes are taken up by


microorganisms like plankton and are eaten by aquatic
organisms such as fish, which in turn are eaten by large birds,
animals and humans. The substances become concentrated
in tissues or internal organs as they move up the chain.
As a result,organisms at the top of the food chain
generally suffer greater harm from a persistent toxin or
pollutant than those at lower levels

Because
•At each level of the food chain there is a lot of energy
loss, a predator must consume many prey, including all of
their lipophilic substances and fats which carries the
pollutant, which then accumulates in the fats of the
predator.
•Biomagnification can occur in almost all types of
ecosystems.e.g terrestrial,aquatic
•Bioaccumulants are toxic substances that increase in
concentration in tissues of living organisms. They enter the
organism through contaminated air, water, or food and are
very slowly metabolized or excreted.

➢ Bioaccumulation vs. Biomagnification

•Bioaccumulation is the concentration of pollutant from the


environment which occurs within a trophic level, i.e. one
level of a food chain, usually the first organism in the food
chain

•Where as biomagnification is the concentration of pollutant


across the food chain
We are concerned about these phenomena because together
they mean that even small concentrations of chemicals in the
environment can find their way into organisms in high enough
dosages to cause problems.
In order for biomagnification to occur, the pollutant must be:
1.long-lived
2.mobile Persistent
3.soluble in fats
4.biologically active
Persistent pollutant vs. short lived pollutant

• Pollutants that dissolve in • If a pollutant is short-lived,


fats(Persistent pollutants) it will be broken down
are retained for a long time. before it can become
dangerous.
• Lipid or fat soluble
substances cannot be • If it is not mobile, it will stay
diluted, broken down, or in one place and is unlikely
excreted in urine. to be taken up by
organisms.
• They accumulate in fatty
tissues of an organism if the • If the pollutant is soluble in
organism lacks enzymes to water it will be excreted by
degrade them. the organism.
•DDT :dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane.

•chlorinated hydrocarbon,used as pesticide

•DDT has a half-life: 15 years, which means if you use 100


kg of DDT, it will break down as follows:
Year Amount Remaining
0 100 kg
15 50 kg
30 25 kg
45 12.5 kg
60 6.25 kg
75 3.13 kg
90 1.56 kg
105 0.78 kg
120 0.39 kg
Substance Use & Problems
• insulators in transformers
•plasticizer
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)
• fire retardant
• impairs reproduction

PAHs (polynuclear aromatic • component of petroleum products


hydrocarbons) • carcinogenic
• Heavy metals:
•mercury
• copper
• cadmium • mercury from gold mining
• chromium • many from metal processing
• lead • affect nervous system
• nickel • affect reproduction
•zinc
• tin (TBT or tributyltin)
• used in leaching gold
cyanide • used in fishing
• toxic
• concentrated by farming desert soils
selenium • reproductive failures
• toxic
Measuring pollutants

•The amount of pollutants is measured in fatty tissues of


organisms such as fish.

•In mammals, we often test the milk .


Bioconcentration

•Bioconcentration is a term used specifically in reference to


aquatic environments and aquatic organisms, in contrast
with the related “bioaccumulation,” which can refer to
toxins and organisms found in a variety of environments.

•The substance(pollutant) can also be taken up by organism


from surrounding water by non dietary routes.

e.g. through the gills of a fish,which travels through blood


to the lipid tissue.
Bioconcentration factor can be expressed as:

The ratio of the concentration of a chemical in an organism


to the concentration of the chemical in the surrounding
environment.
It can also be defined as the rate of substance uptake/rate
of substance elimination
•The higher the ratio, the more severe the
bioconcentration.

•A high BCF can lead to health problems such as genetic


mutations passed on to offsprings

In fish populations increasing numbers of fish born with


ambiguous genitalia have been identified in waterways
contaminated with pharmaceuticals.
Filipino cuisine Japanese cuisine

Bengali cuisine
Pros Cons

▪Protein ▪Mercury
▪Omega 3 fatty acid ▪Fishing methods
▪Vitamin B ▪Farming methods
▪Relatively low in fat
▪Good for the heart and bones
Mercury levels in fish across West Bengal
•Alarming levels of toxic mercury were found in 264 samples of
popular fish (like Rohu, Bhola, Tangra, Aar, Bhetki and other fish
varieties )collected across West Bengal .[organisations :Toxics
Link and DISHA on 2012]

•The trend is applicable across the country

•While 52 cases had mercury concentrates in excess of the


Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act standards of 0.5 ppm

•129 of the fish showed methyl mercury levels (a metabolized


and more poisonous form of mercury) exceeding the 0.25 ppm
PFA stipulations.
Causes
•coal firing
•mining
•thermal plants
•industrial effluents directly
discharged into water bodies
•municipal waste water streams.
High level of mercury causes:

▪neurotoxicity and impairs motor skills

▪stunts psychological development and growth

▪can cause serious mental disorders over a gradual period


of time
Biodiversity Research Institute in Maine ,August 2013
estimated that 83% of fish worldwide have unsafe mercury levels

Over 50% of Asian population have more than the 5ug/ml mercury level
in blood

Cause for global concern because:

•Most Seafood is imported and exported

•Pollution is World-wide problem, requires cooperation of various


nations. E.g. pollution of the ocean and seas
The Gelfond Fund for Mercury Research & Outreach
Fish with the Highest Levels of
Mercury
King Mackerel
Swordfish
Tilefish
Shark
Swordfish

Shark
Fish and Seafood with Mid-Range
Mercury Levels
Tuna
Orange Roughy
Marlin
Grouper
Spanish Mackerel
Chilean Seabass
Bluefish
Lobster
Lobster
Weakfish (sea trout)
Halibut
Sablefish
Striped Bass or Rockfish

tuna
Fish and Seafood with Low
Mercury Levels
Snapper
Monkfish
Carp
Crab
Freshwater perch
skate
skipjack
Spiny lobster
Jacksmelt
Boston or Chub Mackerel
monkfish
Croaker
Trout
Squid
Whitefish
American shad
Crab
Scallop
Squid carp
Fish and Seafood with Very Low Mercury Levels
•Catfish
•Mullet
•Flounder, fluke, plaice, sand dabs
•Herring
•Anchovies
•Pollock
Anchovies
•Crayfish
•Haddock
•Sardine
•Hake
•Salmon
•Oyster
•Tilapia crayfish

salmon

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