Bio amplification: otherwise also known as bio magnification the name is accurate in describing the phenomena. This article explores the issue and the factors which contribute to bio amplification. Bio amplification is formally described as the event in which the concentration of a toxic substance such as DDT and mercury gradually increases at each trophic level (location in the food chain). This poses increased risks for the organisms as we move further up the food chain as the concentration of the toxin increases. As can be probably inferred, bio amplification has have serious ecological effects on consumer organisms near or at the top of the food chain. However the mechanics and causes of bio amplification are somewhat more complex. An important question is what exactly causes this increase in toxin concentration at higher trophic levels? There are a few factors which influence the mechanics of bio amplification. An important note on the topic of bio amplification as will soon become clear is that the toxins in question that have potential for ecological effect are most likely human synthetically produced and manufactures toxins. The factors are:

1.       Toxin does not degrade and break down naturally. This is an issue with many human synthesized toxins. They cannot be broken down over a short period of time by natural processes. Therefore, natural materials rarely pose the risk of bio amplification as much as human synthesized materials do. These human synthesized toxins can stay present in an ecosystem for centuries and have a lasting effect on the wildlife of the region. For example, DDT is very persistent meaning it is unable to be broken down by natural processes. It is one of the major toxins which is part of the bio amplification problem. Concerning its specific persistence, DDT has a half-life of 2-15 years and is highly immobile in the soil. This shows that once it enters and ecosystem, it can have profound impact on it and the health of the organisms that live there.

2.       The food chain dynamics cause the higher tropic levels to ingest more toxins. There is a loss of energy as you move up the food chain to higher tropic levels. For example, say a small quantity of toxin is present in the grass or producer plant organism. However when the primary consumer such as a grasshopper feeds upon this grass, it will ingest many hundreds of grasses in a single day. Therefore, the concentration of the toxin in grasshopper is higher than in each individual grass plant. The grasshopper may be eaten by a secondary consumer such as shrew which eats many grasshoppers thus receiving a higher dose of toxins then each grasshopper contained. At the top of the food chain a hawk may eat the shrew and thus after consuming several shrews it may have the highest levels of the toxin. The hawk must eat many shrews which must eat many grasshopper because of the loss of energy as trophic levels increase. The energy present in a grasshopper when a shrew eats it is only a fraction of energy it consumed over its lifetime. The rest of the energy is ?lost? as it not passed onto the next trophic level. This food chain dynamic means that the energy loss will cause a predator to eat multiple prey and thus ingest larger quantities of a toxin then what would have been present in a single prey.

3.       The third factor of bio amplification s something which is very closely linked to it and it is often confused to be the same thing, however it is not: bio accumulation. Bio accumulation is the buildup of a toxin within the animal in a single trophic level. Bio accumulation occurs when a toxin cannot be passed on by the animal through its waste. These toxins are often water insoluble and fat soluble toxins. These toxins cannot be removed from the body by the excretory system of the animal. Thus the toxin builds up in the body of the animal over time. This means that through bio accumulation and bio amplification, higher trophic levels will receive alarmingly high dosages of toxins.

This is the background on bio amplification. But, why does it matter and what are its effects? This is what we will explore in the next article. But it is interesting to note that the humans are the ones that release these toxins and are also at the top of the food chain. So, are we poisoning our own food supply as well?