Question

question 6
read the following scenario and answer the question(s) below.
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 settles into soils or onto water surfaces. once in
soils, 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 dysfunction, and attention deficits. pregnant women and children are especially
sensitive to methyl mercurys toxic effects. learning disabilities and developmental delays are common in children who have been exposed to significant levels of methyl mercury.
mercury is not readily removed. instead, it is stored and concentrated in mammalian body tissues through a process called____
o digestion
o synergism
o bioaccumulation
o biomagnification
otoxification

Explanation:

Bioaccumulation is the process where substances like methyl - mercury (in this case) are stored and concentrated in an organism's body tissues.

• Dynagen: This is not a recognized term in the context of substance accumulation in organisms.
• Bioaccumulation: Refers to the accumulation of a chemical in an organism (here, mercury in fish and then in humans who eat the fish).
• Biomagnification: While related, biomagnification is more about the increase in concentration of a substance as it moves up the food chain (e.g., mercury concentration increasing from small fish to large predatory fish). But the question specifically mentions storage in mammalian body tissues (which can be part of bioaccumulation).
• Toxication: This is too general and not the specific term for the storage and concentration process described.

Answer:

Bioaccumulation