DDT was sprayed in a Long Island salt marsh over a period of years for mosquito control.A portion of the food web is as follows:
Algae - shrimp- American eel - Atlantic needlefish - ring-billed gull
In which organism would biological magnification be MOST evident?
A)Algae
B)Shrimp
C)American eel
D)Ring-billed gull

Question

DDT was sprayed in a Long Island salt marsh over a period of years for mosquito control.A portion of the food web is as follows:
Algae -> shrimp-> American eel -> Atlantic needlefish -> ring-billed gull
In which organism would biological magnification be MOST evident?
A)Algae
B)Shrimp
C)American eel
D)Ring-billed gull

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Biological magnification is the process in which there is an increase in concentration of certain substances, such as toxic chemicals or heavy metals, as we move up the food chain. This happens because each organism in the food chain accumulates some of the substances from the lower tropic levels. Since the ring-billed gull is at the top of this food chain, any toxins, like DDT, that have accumulated in the previous trophic levels will be the most concentrated in the body of the ring-billed gull. Therefore, biological magnification would be most evident in the ring-billed gull.

DDT Was Sprayed in a Long Island Salt Marsh Over