Environment & Ecology UPPSC 1999 GS-I
Question

The level of pollution in the food chain, based on estimates of DDT concentration in aquatic environment increases in the following sequence:

Answer & Solution

Answer: (Detailed Solution Below)

Option B: Water plant, snail, fish, bird

Detailed Solution:

The correct answer is “Water plant, snail, fish, bird”.

This phenomenon is known as biomagnification. It's the increasing concentration of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in the tissues of organisms at successively higher levels of the food chain.  

1) Water plants absorb DDT from the water.
2) Snails consume water plants and accumulate DDT.
3) Fish eat snails and concentrate DDT further.
4) Birds prey on fish, accumulating the highest concentration of DDT.

This process is particularly harmful to top predators, as they can suffer from reproductive problems, weakened immune systems, and even death due to high levels of toxins.

Similar Questions:

Incourse of pilgrimage, Emperor Ashoka visited the following places. Which route did he followed. Select the correct answer from the code given below:

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2. Kapilavastu
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4. Lumbini
5. Sarnath
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Code:
  1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
  2. 1, 3, 4, 2, 5 and 6
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Assertion (A): Lightning conductors prevent buildings from damages.
Reason (R): It passes the charge to the earth.

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