Essay on bioaccumulation

Well, you know the word accumulation means the build-up of something and that the prefix bio- means life. Putting it together, you would get the build-up of something in living organisms for the definition of bioaccumulation. That's it, but what's building up?

Phytoplankton and bacteria both feed on the mercury, which is fine for them. However, some species of small fish then eat the bacteria and phytoplankton and then get eaten by larger fish. The small and large fish both accumulate mercury in their bodies. Up to this point, it is bioaccumulation.

The bottom line: bioaccumulation affects the entire world ecosystem from oceans to humans. While it is unclear if this trend can be reversed, there are certainly ways to slow its course, some as simple as remaining mindful of the amount of fish you eat.

The two causes of bioaccumulation are the amount of the chemical coming into the living organism faster than the organism can use it and the living organism not being able to break down or excrete the chemical. Biomagnification is a type of bioaccumulation where the amount of a chemical multiplies every time it moves up the food chain.