Bioaccumulation vs biomagnification.

• A. Bioaccumulation is buildup of a chemical in an individual organism over time; biomagnification is the increasing concentration of a chemical as it moves up the food chain.
• B. They are the same process.
• C. Biomagnification occurs within a single organism's body.
• D. Bioaccumulation only occurs in plants.

Answer: (D)

Bioaccumulation refers to the buildup of a chemical in a single organism over time, from all exposure routes (environment, water, diet, etc.), and it can occur in any organism, including plants, animals, and microbes. Biomagnification describes how the concentration of that chemical increases as it moves up the food chain, because predators accumulate the contaminant by eating multiple contaminated prey and often retain it faster than it is eliminated. So bioaccumulation is about an individual’s body burden, while biomagnification is about increasing concentrations at higher trophic levels. Saying bioaccumulation only occurs in plants isn’t accurate, since animals and other organisms also accumulate chemicals in their bodies.