bioaccumulation

American  

[bahy-oh-uh-kyoo-myuh-ley-shuhn] / ˌbaɪ oʊ əˌkyu myəˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. biological accumulation.

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bioaccumulation Scientific  

/ bī′ō-ə-kyo̅o̅m′yə-lā′shən /

1. 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.

2. Compare biomagnification

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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

• bioaccumulative adjective

Compare meaning

How does bioaccumulation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bioaccumulation vs. biomagnification

Example Sentences

Scientists determined that the concentration found in these insects are a good stand-in for estimating the amount of methylmercury bioaccumulation in amphibians, and there is already a nationwide USGS/National Park Service project underway sampling them.

From Science Daily • Oct. 30, 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

"Fog drifts inland and rains down in microdroplets, collecting on vegetation and dripping to the ground, where the slow process of bioaccumulation begins."

From Salon • Dec. 1, 2019

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

Because they are at the top of the food chain, many marine mammals will be exposed to the dangers of bioaccumulation of organic pollutants and metals.”

From Scientific American • Sep. 7, 2012