biomagnifikacji

Biomagnifikacja, also known as bioamplification or ecological magnification, is the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in organisms at successively higher levels in a food chain. This process occurs when an organism ingests or absorbs a substance at a rate faster than that at which it is lost by catabolism and excretion. As a result, the substance accumulates in the organism's tissues.

When a predator consumes multiple prey items that contain this accumulating substance, the predator ingests a higher total amount of the substance than any of its individual prey. This higher concentration is then passed on to the next trophic level. Consequently, organisms at the top of the food chain, such as large predatory fish, birds of prey, and humans, can accumulate significantly higher levels of these persistent substances than organisms at lower trophic levels.

Common substances that biomagnify include certain pesticides like DDT, industrial chemicals like PCBs, and heavy metals such as mercury. These substances are often persistent in the environment, meaning they break down very slowly, and are lipophilic, meaning they dissolve in fats. This allows them to be stored in the fatty tissues of organisms and accumulate over time. The effects of biomagnification can be severe, leading to reproductive problems, developmental abnormalities, and even death in top predators.