Which term describes the accumulation and transfer of substances through food webs?

Which term describes the accumulation and transfer of substances through food webs?

• A. The increase in population size
• B. The movement of water through soil
• C. The accumulation and transfer of substances through food webs
• D. The breakdown of plastic by sunlight

Answer: (C)

When substances like pollutants move through ecosystems, they tend to build up in organisms over time and are passed from prey to predator. Because many of these substances aren’t easily excreted, their concentrations can become higher at each step up the food chain. This pattern is bioaccumulation within organisms and biomagnification across trophic levels, the idea described by the phrase in the question. The other options don’t fit because they describe population growth, water movement, or the breakdown of plastics by sunlight, not the buildup and transfer of substances through a food web.

When substances like pollutants move through ecosystems, they tend to build up in organisms over time and are passed from prey to predator. Because many of these substances aren’t easily excreted, their concentrations can become higher at each step up the food chain. This pattern is bioaccumulation within organisms and biomagnification across trophic levels, the idea described by the phrase in the question. The other options don’t fit because they describe population growth, water movement, or the breakdown of plastics by sunlight, not the buildup and transfer of substances through a food web.