As the concentrations increase with each level in the food chain, this process is called biomagnification. Biomagnification and bioaccumulation of mercury in an arctic marine food web. Disruptions to food chains and bioaccumulation teaching. Mercury high school activities kendallville, indiana. A food chain is a single path, which help us to work out who eats whom in a habitat, in order to get the energy and materials required for nutrition. Food chains and food webs describe feeding relationships. Lesson 2 teachers manual introduction to lesson 2 lesson 2. The highest levels are reached in the eggs of fisheating birds such as herring gulls.
Fish are the main source of food for many birds and other animals, and mercury can seriously damage the health of these species. Nysdec region 1 freshwater fisheries i fish ny program. Bioamplification, bioaccumulation and bioconcentration. The top preditors at the end of the food chain, such as large. Bioaccumulation is at the individual level where as biomagnification is at the ecosystem level food chain.
Construct a food web of reef organisms using cards representing those organisms. This is a hard activity that gets students to think deeply about the transfer of biomass between trophic levels. This model simplifies the energy dynamics of a marine ecosystem to a food chain of phytoplankton eaten by zooplankton smelt salmon pelicans. Bioaccumulation is the process by which toxins enter the food web by building up in individual organisms, while biomagnification is the process by which toxins are passed from one trophic level to the next and thereby increase in concentration within a food web. How bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pollutants is. The second section explains the process of biomagnification, which can lead to high levels of toxins or other harmful compounds in animals at the top of the food chain. This is a good basis for students to build on when learning about the different parts of a food web. Pdf biomagnification and bioaccumulation of mercury in. Page numbers in the pdf document are given as seen on a pdf viewer on the computer not printed page numbers. Factors such as water ph, mercury concentration in the water, water temperature, and biodiversity all affect whether and. The city of san diego transportation and stormwater department 9370 chesapeake drive san diego, california 92123 submitted by.
To fully understand the dynamics of bioaccumulation of halogenated compounds in the food chain, it is first necessary to define several terms. A few months ago i saw an article which described a game to play with students to illustrate bioaccumulation in the aquatic food chain using pennies. Biomagnification how toxins move through the food web. What is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Simulating biomagnification to illustrate trophic pyramids. How can pollutants affect food chains and ecosystems. The population of species in a food chain is shown using a pyramid of numbers.
These are detailed posters which explain the six steps i have practiced with my students over the years for making food webs. Higher up the food chain, a blackfish eats the clams and stores the toxins in its body. Instead of inserting the exact same text, modifying font styles or correcting margins each time you begin a new file, opening a personalized template can let you get straight to work on the material instead of wasting time. Students will model the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification in a food chain. Bioaccumulation leads to biomagnification as chemicals are accumulated in an organism, it becomes part of the parts that are generally eaten by the next level or organisms along the food chain. Consequently, we developed a handson, discussionbased activity for the middle school science classroom to demonstrate biomagnification and connect it to food webs and trophic. Bioaccumulation, bioconcentration, and biomagnification. Bioconcentration and bioaccumulation happen within an organism, but biomagnification occurs across levels of the food chain. Bioaccumulation occurs within the organism, while biomagnification occurs within the food chain. Chemicals enter organisms through food intake, skin contact, or respiration.
Here are the questions you will be answering through your research. Food chain laboratory activities worksheets lesson. Bioaccumulation is the gradual buildup of these chemicals in living organisms figure 2. Lesson 2 activity food webs and bioaccumulation key introduction in this activity you are going to analyze a food web to determine which organisms in the food chain accumulate the greatest concentration of chemicals in their tissues and. Loons, eagles, panthers, otters, mink, kingfishers and ospreys eat large quantities of fish. Because of interconnections within a food web, bioaccumulated toxins can spread to whole ecosystems. The resources that will help you find these answers are documents and websites.
Items in bold type are handout materials found in the worksheets section of the. We mentioned that the energy transferred to the next level. Bioconcentration refers to the accumulation of a chemical in an organism resulting from an equilibrium distribution of the chemical between the organisms tissue and its. Effects of bioaccumulation on ecosystems textbook pages 92103 before you read everyday activities, such as driving or heating your home, often pollute ecosystems. Food chains teaching resources the science teacher. In every ecosystem, organisms are intricately interconnected through food chains and food webs. Process by which certain toxic substances such as heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls accumulate and keep on accumulating in living organisms, posing a threat to health, life, and to the environment. The leap from making food chains to food webs is not a. For example, in a saltwater ecosystem, clams filter out pollutants in the water such as heavy metals, coliform bacteria from sewage contamination. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification are processes that can increase the level of toxins in the food chain. The dynamics of food chains and food webs, and the roles organisms play as consumers, producers, and decomposers in the food pyramid will be introduced. Bioaccumulation is the buildup of chemicals inside of living organisms. A north australian food web game sharks and rays australia.
The two causes of bioaccumulation are the amount of the chemical coming into. What are amphibians and how are they useful to scientists. The dose of mercury that these animals ingest through fish can affect the speed and coordination necessary to catch their prey. This diagram shows the degree of concentration in each level of the great lakes aquatic food chain for pcbs in parts per million, ppm. The effects of bioaccumulation on the ecosystem sciencing. Attached documents are listed in green and the links are at the bottom of this page. In this article we examine mercury accumulation, which can have serious repercussions in. Biomagnification influences the movement of environmental contaminants and relates to food chains and the transfer of matter in ecosystems, concepts that are found in the next generation science standards. In this activity, students create a food web to model bioaccumulation as it. Construct a numbers pyramid, energy pyramid and bioaccumulation pyramid based on their ori. Print the worksheet doublesided and you only have a single sheet to give out containing an extension comprehension task.
A chemical will accumulate if it is taken up and stored faster than it is broken down and excreted. Marked on the animal cards is also energy points and mercury levels of each organism. The hudson is a constantly changing river, and along its length you will find a number of different food webs, depending on such. Persistent organic chemicals such as pcbs bioaccumulate. Why do scientists need to understand animal diets and the potential dangers that affect the food web. Farmers use a variety of chemical pesticides to control insects and other pests that can damage their crops.
We casually say when teaching food chains that only 10 % of the biomass from each trophic level is transferred to the level above. Now that we know what bioaccumulation and biomagnification is, lets discuss this in terms of our food supply. If the accumulation of a substance is too high, it can be harmful. Lessons and activities for a formal classroom setting. This second case is specifically referred to as bioconcentration. Could be easily adapted or extended to fill a longer lesson. Lesson on disruptions to food chains and bioaccumulation for year 8 sen.
Define it as the build up of chemicalstoxins in an organism. If you have not already discussed food webs, an introduction lesson is advised. Organisms in an ecosystem affect each others population. Food chain worksheet pdf 29 fresh food chain worksheet food chains and food webs worksheets careless. Bioaccumulation bioaccumulation is the accumulation or buildup of toxic substances in an. Ecology worksheets for middle school gallery for amp gt energy flow through an ecosystem worksheet best an. The pesticide ddt has runoff from the land into this near shore habitat. Executive summary of biomagnification teaching and. The pesticides help improve growing efficiencies by increasing the amount of food that can be produced from a field. Kpg this assignment could be utilized in my unit because we discuss the food webfood chain. Worksheets are the food chain, food web lab, lab food chains and food webs, student activity build a marine food web, teachers guide middle level science classrooms, nysdec region 1 freshwater fisheries i fish ny program, food web and bioaccumulation time frame grade th, good laboratory practices questions and answers. Food webs, bioaccumulation, and visualizing data the information presented in lesson 2 introduces students to food webs, bioaccumulation and visualizing data. Bioaccumulation often occurs in two ways, simultaneously. Pollution can accumulate from species to species, moving up the food chain until it eventually affects the whole food web.
Displaying all worksheets related to bioaccumulation. Aquatic food web bioaccumulation study of san diego bay final report submitted to. It is absorbed by the phytoplankton, and accumulates in the higher trophic levels over time. Students will be able to explain the effects of ddt in the aquatic food chain based on the concepts of bioaccumulation.
Worksheet and slides for a brief 30 min lesson quickly covering bioaccumulation of ddt for ks3 science. Food webs and food chains worksheet 1 look at this food chain. Usually occurs through a series of predatorprey relationships. Designate fairly large area for bioaccumulation game. The bioaccumulation analysis workgroup, cochaired by owost and oswerosw, consists of 40 people from epa headquarters, regional offices, and research laboratories with scientific andor programmatic experience related to bioaccumulation testing and interpretation and sediment quality. When toxins finds their way into an organism, they can build up and linger, a phenomenon called bioaccumulation. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification are two different processes that often occur in tandem with one another. In your opinion, which human activity is the most harmful to the environment. Also called bioconcentration, biological concentration, or biological magnification. Worksheets are bioaccumulation of toxins, lesson 2 food webs bioaccumulation and visualizing data, mercury bioaccumulation tag lesson plan, planning for cluster 1 lesson title, food web and bioaccumulation time frame grade th, nysdec region 1 freshwater fisheries i fish ny program, lesson 7 biomagnification.