Toxicology
Biomagnification
The increasing concentration of a substance (especially toxins) in organisms at successively higher trophic levels. Top predators accumulate the highest concentrations.
Biological Context
DDT in phytoplankton was dilute, but concentrations increased through zooplankton, fish, and birds until top predators like eagles had lethal levels. Biomagnification explains why apex predators are most vulnerable to certain pollutants and why mercury warnings apply especially to large predatory fish.