What is bioaccumulation?
1 Answer
Jan 17, 2017
Bioaccumulation is a term used to describe the accumulation of substances in an organism.
Explanation:
Bioaccumulation is a term used to describe the accumulation of substances in an organism. In environmental science, the substances are often pollutants and other harmful chemicals.
A substance will accumulate in an organism if the intake rate of the substance exceeds the excretion rate.
The image below shows a simplified hypothetical scenario of a red contaminant bioaccumulating in fish over time.
Bioaccumulation is often closely related to biomagnification.
