bioaccumulate
Organisms concentrate toxins
Bioaccumulate describes the process by which substances—typically toxins or pollutants—build up in living organisms faster than they can be eliminated.
Mercury bioaccumulates in fish; pesticides bioaccumulate in birds of prey.
The concentration increases at each level of the food chain, a phenomenon called biomagnification: DDT bioaccumulated in bald eagles, thinning their eggshells.
The noun is bioaccumulation.
Liquid metallic element
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- cadmiumElement forty-eight
- arsenicToxic metalloid element
- DDTBanned chlorinated insecticide
PCBs · dioxins · heavy metals · pesticides · microplastics · PFAS · methylmercury · flame retardants
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- apex predatorsDominant hunters, no natural enemies
- preyAnimal being hunted
- predatorsAnimals that kill prey
- filter feedersOrganisms sieving food from water
phytoplankton · zooplankton · shellfish · fatty tissue · lipophilic · secondary consumers · marine mammals · piscivores
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- lipid-solubleDissolves in fats, not water
- fat-solubleDissolves in lipids
- nondegradableCannot be decomposed naturally
- recalcitrantStubbornly resistant to control
sequestration · chronic exposure · long-lived · bioavailability · loading · saturation
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- sentinel speciesSpecies signaling ecosystem changes
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- oystersEdible marine mollusks
bioindicators · water quality · risk assessment · dose-response
mercury
Liquid metallic element
DDT · PCBs · dioxins · heavy metals · pesticides · microplastics · PFAS · methylmercury · flame retardants · neurotoxins
food chain
Ecological feeding hierarchy
- apex predatorsDominant hunters, no natural enemies
- preyAnimal being hunted
- predatorsAnimals that kill prey
filter feeders · phytoplankton · zooplankton · shellfish · fatty tissue · lipophilic · secondary consumers · marine mammals · piscivores · raptors
half-life
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- lipid-solubleDissolves in fats, not water
- fat-solubleDissolves in lipids
- nondegradableCannot be decomposed naturally
recalcitrant · sequestration · chronic exposure · long-lived · bioavailability · loading · saturation
tissue sampling
- biomarkersMeasurable disease indicators
- sentinel speciesSpecies signaling ecosystem changes
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
oysters · bioindicators · water quality · risk assessment · dose-response
bioaccumulatemetabolize
Convert to energy
excrete · eliminate · biodegrade · break down · detoxify