Biomagnification(1)

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University of Nairobi *

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BGY332

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Biology

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Nov 24, 2024

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Bioaccumulation is the buildup of a pollution in a single organism whereas biomagnification is the buildup of a pollution through the food chain, moving through trophic levels. The highest concentration of pollution is found in the apex consumer. It was once assumed that longer lived species would have higher concentrations of pollution due to the longevity and the buildup of pollution over years. This holds true, somewhat, with older organisms carrying higher concentrations of pollution versus younger organisms. However, the oldest organisms did not have the highest concentrations perhaps because diets varied when the organism was the oldest. Based on this food web, answer the questions below. Submit them by uploading a word document. In this assignment you are going to analyze a food web to determine which organisms in the food chain accumulate the greatest concentration of chemicals in their tissues and consider which organisms in a food web might be most affected by the introduction of a toxic chemical to their habitat. When an animal consumes food having mercury residue, the mercury accumulates in the tissue of the animal by a process called bioaccumulation. The higher an animal is on the food chain (e.g. tertiary consumer such as seals, owls, hawks etc), the greater the concentration of mercury in their body as a result of a process called biomagnification. Mercury will accumulate in greater concentration in water bodies versus on land for a couple of reasons. On land, the mercury is absorbed by plants and the soil but also runs off into the local water bodies when it rains. This means there is less mercury over time and land organisms have less concentrated poison in their symptoms due to this. Lastly, fat and blubber store higher concentrations of mercury than other tissues. So, an animal with fat stores will have higher concentrations that an animal which is lean. Please note the following amounts of mercury residue in these animal organism systems. Small fish: .87 ppm DDT Residue per gram Large fish: 2.48 ppm DDT Residue per gram Vocabulary: Detritus refers to dead organisms (decaying) and fecal matter

QUESTION SET A. What is the difference between bioaccumulation and bio magnification? Bioaccumulation is the buildup of a pollution in a single organism while biomagnification is the buildup of a pollution through the food chain, moving through trophic levels. In other words, while biomagnification happens when low concentrations of toxins existing in small species can migrate up the food chain to high concentrations in giant organisms, bioaccumulation happens when toxins are introduced to the food web through a preponderance in particular organisms. B. Looking at the mangrove food web only, which animal is most likely to suffer from biomagnification and why? The pelican and other wading birds are particularly vulnerable to biomagnification in the mangrove food web. This is because mercury accumulates to greater levels in the bodies of animals higher up the food chain. This is because these birds are tertiary consumers. The alligator is also likely to suffer because it is the apex consumer C. What is the aquatic primary producers in this food web? Freshwater marsh food web : Amphipods, Bacteria, and Chironomid Larvae.

Mangrove food web: Macroalgae, Microalgae, Oligochaetes, Amphipods, Bacteria, the Mangrove Tree Carb, and Ostracods. Seagrass food web: Macroalgae, Microalgae, Isopods, Amphipods, Bacteria, and Copepods. D. How is the diet of an ibis (wading bird) different than that of a mouse (mouse not in diagram. Mice eat seeds and are eaten by snakes and birds)? Explain two reasons that these differences impact their overall health in this food web. Regarding this food chain, Ibises eat large fish and other marine organisms, among other things. In contrast to mice, birds eat just seeds and no living creatures. The dietary variations provide the animals with the nourishment they require for optimal health. In addition, the Ibis has many food possibilities on this web, but the Mouse has none. Moreover, the presence of biomagnification varies greatly depending on dietary habits. The Ibis is most susceptible to biomagnification's effects, while the Mouse is the least. E. A young wading bird eats 160 g of food per day. The bird feeds off of fish only and half are small fish and half are large fish. How much mercury does the bird consume in a single day? The bird absorbs 69.6 ppm DDT Residue if 80 g of its diet consists of tiny fish at a rate of 0.87 ppm per gram. An additional 198.4 ppm of mercury is consumed due to the eating of 80 g of food from huge fish at a rate of 2.48 ppm DDT Residue per gram. The immature wading bird had a mercury intake of 268 ppm per day. F. Rank the following animals least likely to suffer (number 1) from biomagnification to most likely to suffer based on your calculations and critical thinking skills. Provide a reason next to each animal as to why you ranked them the way that you did. Alligator, Gar, Ibis (wading bird), Mangrove Crab, Mouse 1 - Ibis (wading bird) – Birds are particularly vulnerable to biomagnification because of their high position in the food chain. They typically eat a variety of fish, which increases their exposure to mercury. 2 – Alligator – Similarly, the Alligator's elevated position on the food chain increases the likelihood that it may be affected by biomagnification because of the large amounts of prey it consumes. 3 – Gar – The Gar ranks lower than the Alligator because of the limited food sources available to it. They are more vulnerable to biomagnification because they ingest more prey than the Mangrove Crab. 4 – Mangrove Crab – The Mangrove Crab is less vulnerable to biomagnification effects since plants and tiny invertebrates make up the bulk of its food. 5 – Mouse – Finally, the Mouse's diet consists mainly of plant seeds, making it the least susceptible to biomagnification.

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