Biomagnification is the process of accumulation of certain chemicals in living organisms to a concentration higher than that occurring in the inorganic, non-living environment. It occurs when industrial, agricultural, and human wastes are dumped into the oceans via rivers, sewers, streams, etc. Most of this waste is toxic and dangerous and deposited on the sea bed. The bottom feeders of a food chain consume these and gradually, it is carried to the top of that particular food chain.
Biomagnification can be defined as the rise or increase in the contaminated substances caused by the intoxicating environment. The contaminants might be heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, and pesticides such as polychlorinated biphenyls and DDT. These substances are taken up by the organisms through the food they consume. When the organisms in the higher food chain feed on the organisms in the lower food chain containing these toxins, these toxins get accumulated in the higher organisms.
The major causes of biomagnification are agriculture, industrialization, and urbanization. The effects of biomagnification on living organisms include reproductive failure, developmental abnormalities, and death.
