Question

A food chain consists of fish, larvae, phytoplanktons and birds. The level of pesticides in water in which the fish, larvae and phytoplanktons live is quite high.

1. In which organisms the pesticides enter from the polluted water? What is this level of organisms known as?
2. Which organism will have the maximum amount of pesticides accumulated through the food chain? What is this process known as?
3. Write the food chain comprising all the organisms mentioned above.
4. Which other organism you could write in place of bird in the above food chain?

Answer 1

1. Pesticides enter phytoplankton from polluted water. They are producers (autotrophs) and belong to the first trophic level.
2. The bird will have the highest pesticide levels accumulated through the food chain. This process is known as biological magnification (biomagnification).
3. Phytoplankton → Larvae → Fish → Bird
4. Man (Human being).