When DDT was first put into the environment, it hurt the plants and tiny animals like phytoplankton. These plants soaked up the chemical. Then, when small insects and other herbivores ate these plants, they also got the DDT in their bodies. Next, when small fish ate those insects, the DDT got passed along to them, and it became even stronger inside them. This process is called biomagnification, which means that the chemicals get more and more concentrated as they move up the food chain. Finally, when big animals like bald eagles ate the fish, they ended up with the most DDT in their bodies. This was really bad for them and caused problems like eggs that were too thin and would break easily.
When DDT was introduced into an ecosystem, it primarily affected the producers, such as plants and phytoplankton, that absorbed or accumulated the chemical from the environment. As primary consumers, small insects and herbivores consumed these contaminated producers, leading to the accumulation of DDT in their bodies. As these infected organisms became prey for secondary consumers, like small fish, the concentration of DDT increased further due to biomagnification—a process where toxins become more concentrated at each trophic level. Ultimately, the tertiary consumers, such as bald eagles that preyed on these contaminated fish, experienced the highest levels of DDT, resulting in harmful effects like eggshell thinning.
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