2018 · Q18
Statement IBioaccumulation is a process of progressive accumulation of heavy metals and pesticides in an organism.
Statement IILarge fishes of the pond are found to have higher concentration of pesticides than planktons of the same pond.
General KnowledgeBiology
- ABoth the statements are individually true and Statement II is the correct explanation of Statement I
- BBoth the statements are individually true but Statement II is not the correct explanation of Statement I
- CStatement I is true but Statement II is false
- DStatement I is false but Statement II is true
Explanation
Bioaccumulation is the progressive build-up of heavy metals and pesticides within an organism over its lifetime, so Statement I is true. Large predatory fish show higher pesticide concentrations than plankton because the pollutant concentrates at each trophic step (biomagnification), so Statement II is true. Statement II is a direct instance of the process defined in Statement I, so it correctly explains it.