bioaccumulation
Americannoun
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The accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism. 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.
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Compare biomagnification
Usage
What does bioaccumulation mean? Bioaccumulation is the continuous buildup of foreign substances, such as pesticides or toxic chemicals, within an organism. Bio- is a prefix that means “life.” Accumulation means a continuous growing or collecting. The term bioaccumulation is short for biological accumulation. Bioaccumulation is a scientific term that describes the buildup of (often harmful) substances in living organisms, such as animals and plants. The term is especially common in discussions of marine biology because aquatic life is particularly vulnerable to contamination from pesticides like DDT and toxins, such as mercury (when these things get into the water, they inevitably get into the animals and other organisms that live in the water). This poses problems for individual organisms, but it’s also a problem for entire ecosystems. When the bioaccumulation in each organism is compounded (added together, or magnified), this is called biological magnification (or biomagnification). Biomagnification means that bioaccumulation can get worse for animals higher up in the food chain: the amount of toxic substances (such as mercury or pesticides) is greater in the bodies of organisms (including humans) that consume other organisms.
Other Word Forms
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The study even found a way to understand mercury bioaccumulation for amphibians that can't be sampled -- by using dragonfly larvae.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2023
"We see a much different pattern. Air-breathing organisms are more vulnerable to bioaccumulation and biomagnification" of the chemicals.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2023
"So if in a few years you catch a tuna, it will still be contaminated - this bioaccumulation will be a serious problem."
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2021
Industrial waste and chemical products utilised in cities and agricultural areas can lead to bioaccumulation in the organisms of the local population, even when levels of toxins in those places are low.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 18, 2015
Warfarin is itself used as a rat poison, but is what environmental toxicologists call a first-generation AR, less lethal and less prone to bioaccumulation than its second-generation successors.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 14, 2012
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