Chapter 38, Problem 5TYK

Summary Introduction

Introduction:

Osprey is also called as fish hawk, river hawk and fish hawk. They are the top level predators which prey on the other smaller species of the animals. The concentration of the pesticides accumulates in the egg of these birds. This is called as biological magnification. The primary consumers are consumed by the secondary consumers, which are consumed by the tertiary consumers like Osprey.

The pesticides like PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) accumulate in the body of the consumers and their concentration increases in the egg of the higher organisms, due to the biomagnification process. The increase in the body mass causes the increase in the pesticide concentration leading to the toxic effects.