Question

Energy flow in a food chain is unidirectional. Justify this statement. Explain how the pesticides enter a food chain and subsequently get into our body?

Answer 1

Hint:We consume many plants as we are herbivores and the insecticide is spread on many plants whereas it is less in amount for one plant but in gathering it increases and since we eat too many plants accumulation of chemicals is high in us.

Complete answer:
To answer this question, we have to know the food chain. The food chain is the sequential arrangement of organisms via which food and its consisting energy transfer in an ecosystem with individuals at single step leading the food of the next step of the sequence.
The producers alter solar power into chemical energy in the shape of organic components. The primary consumers like herbivores get their food from the producers.
Based on the energy transfer rule, only 10% of power is transferred from one trophic level to another one. A large quantity of pesticides and chemicals are utilized to save our crops from harmful insects and infections. A few of these chemicals are taken by plants with minerals and water; and from the water bodies, they are absorbed by aquatic plants and animals. In this way these chemicals invade the food chain. As these chemicals cannot digest, they assemble gradually at every trophic level. This rise in the quantity of harmful chemicals with every step of the food chain is known as biomagnification. As human beings occupy the top level in any food chain, these chemicals get accumulated in our bodies.

Note:Pesticides are sprayed on the crop plants to protect them from the attack of pests. These pesticides when cleaned away and transferred to the water bodies and land, are absorbed by the plants. When plants are taken as food by humans or other animals, the pesticides enter the food chain. We know that the pesticides are non-biodegradable; these chemicals get collected gradually and invade our body.