Question

Mercury is a heavy metal that occurs naturally in minerals and rocks. Release of mercury from natural sources has been relatively constant over time. However, anthropogenic release of mercury has increased significantly in recent years primarily due to increased fossil fuel mining and combustion. Mercury that is released into the air eventually ends up in soils or surface water. Once in water, microbes convert mercury into methyl mercury, which is absorbed quickly and concentrated in the tissues of predatory fish such as shark and swordfish. Large fish typically concentrate more mercury than small fish. People who eat fish with high methyl mercury concentrations can show tremors, deafness, muscle incoordination, and attention deficits. Pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to methyl mercury's toxic effects. Learning disabilities and developmental delays are common in children who have been exposed to significant levels of methyl mercury. Concentrations of methyl mercury are higher in large fish than in their prey and in the air. This is best described as ________. a synergism b biomagnification c bioaccumulation d distillation e toxification

Answer 1

The toxification of released increased mercury in fish is best described as:

C. Bioaccumulation

Bioaccumulation takes place within an organism when the rate of intake of a substance is greater than the rate of excretion or metabolic transformation of that substance.

Answer 2

The answer is biomagnification

Step-by-step explanation:

Mercury accumulates in the tissues of organisms in their most toxic form, methylmercury. This substance accumulates along the aquatic food chain, from microorganisms to predatory fish and mammals, through ingestion of food. Methylmercury is responsible for the accumulation of mercury in all aquatic organisms from one trophic level to another. According to their ability to accumulate, it is normal for the highest concentrations to be appreciated in predatory fish and marine mammals, through the process known as biomagnification.