Which of the Following is a Consequence of Biological Magnification

Question

Which of the following is a consequence of biological magnification?
A)Toxic chemicals in the environment pose greater risk to top-level predators than to primary consumers.
B)Populations of top-level predators are generally smaller than populations of primary consumers.
C)The biomass of producers in an ecosystem is generally higher than the biomass of primary consumers.
D)Only a small portion of the energy captured by producers is transferred to consumers.
E)The amount of biomass in the producer level of an ecosystem decreases if the producer turnover time increases.

Accepted Answer

Biological magnification is the process by which certain chemicals become more concentrated in the tissues of organisms as they move up the food chain. This means that top-level predators, who consume many lower-level consumers, may accumulate very high levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies, which can pose a greater risk to their health than to the health of lower-level consumers.