exotoxicology

Question 1

what is ecotoxicology

Answer 1

study of the ecological consequences of polluting the environment with various substances and radiations released by human activity

Question 2

what are contaminants

Answer 2

any substance or radiation that can cause harm to an ecosystem

Question 3

what’s the toxic threshold

Answer 3

level of concentration above which a contaminant causes harmful effects in an organism (measured in mg/kg of the organisms mass)

Question 4

what’s the lethal dose

Answer 4

amount of contaminant necessary in a single dose to cause death of an organism

Question 5

what is LD50

Answer 5

the dose that causes death among 50% of individuals

Question 6

what are 3 factors affecting contaminants

Answer 6

• concentration: we can stand a little but not a lot
• type of organism: some plants and animals are more susceptible than others
• length of exposure: smoke for 2yrs vs 20yrs

Question 7

what is bioaccumulation/bioconcentration

Answer 7

contaminants accumulate over time in animal tissue (especially fat)

Question 8

what is biomagnification/ bioamplification

Answer 8

contaminants concentrate in the tissue as u go up the food chain