Author Question: Define bioaccumulation and biomagnification. What will be an ideal ... (Read 83 times)

strangeaffliction · **on:** Jul 15, 2018

Define bioaccumulation and biomagnification.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe the origins of stewardship and its modern applications.

What will be an ideal response?

kilada · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 15, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Biomagnification is the movement of a chemical through the food chain; as an organism eats on the trophic level below it, it takes in the chemicals that are in those organisms, magnifying the concentration of the chemical. Bioaccumulation is biomagnification plus bio concentration (the movement of a chemical against a concentration gradient).

Answer to Question 2

Stewardship is a concept that can be traced back to ancient civilizations. A steward was put in charge of the master's household, responsible for maintaining the welfare of the people and the property of the owner. Because a steward did not own the property himself, the steward's ethic involved caring for something on behalf of someone else.
Applying this concept to the world today, stewards are those who care for somethingfrom the natural world or from human culturethat they do not own and that they will pass on to the next generation. Modern-day environmental stewardship, therefore, incorporates an ethic that guides actions taken to benefit the natural world and other people. It recognizes that even our ownership of land is temporary; the land will be there after we die, and others will own it in turn. Stewardly care is compatible with the goal of sustainability, but is different from it, too, because stewardship deals more directly with how sustainability is to be achievedwhat actions are taken, and what values and ethical considerations are behind those actions.