Increase in concentration of a chemical or element as it moves up the food chain

• A. Bioaccumulation
• B. Biomagnification
• C. Biodegradation
• D. Bioconcentration

Answer: (B)

Biomagnification describes the rise in a chemical’s concentration as you move from prey to predator up the food chain. A persistent pollutant that isn’t easily broken down or excreted stays in the bodies of organisms after they eat contaminated food. As predators at higher trophic levels consume many contaminated prey, they accumulate even more of the chemical, so the concentration is much higher at the top of the chain. This happens because the chemical is passed along through feeding and isn’t efficiently removed, leading to increasing levels with each step up.

To contrast briefly: bioaccumulation is buildup within a single organism from all sources over time, not necessarily through feeding between species; bioconcentration refers to uptake directly from the environment (like water) into an organism; biodegradation is the breakdown of a substance by microbes, which reduces concentration.