1. Biology Decision Case Bi o m a g n i f i cati on

2. The Problem: Peregrine Falcons Extirpated from much of U.S. http://www.iowaccess.org/main/news/newsimages/peregrine.jpg

3. Osprey and Bald Eagles were declining, as well. http://www.state.tn.us/twra/graphics/OSPREY.jpg http://www.state.tn.us/twra/graphics/BLDEAGLE.jpg

4. Meanwhile, in Borneo:  Roofs began to fall  Gecko-eating cats began to die,  and thriving rats brought plague and typhus  The World Health Organization began to parachute cats into Borneo, but what was causing these problems? http://www.herpafauna.com/pics/geckos/a-felinus.jpg

5. Finding the cause: Roof collapse traced to disappearance of parasitic wasp which had controlled thatch-eating caterpillars. http://www.life.umd.edu/classroom/bsci124/img/parisitoid.jpg

6. It seemed to be a chain: Wasps disappeared because DDT had been sprayed to kill mosquitos, which carried malaria - number one killer of humans worldwide

7. The data suggested DDT:  Measurements of DDT levels seemed to multiply as the compound moved up the food chain: Water to zooplankton: 800x Water to zooplankton: 800x Zooplankton to fish #1 = 31x Zooplankton to fish #1 = 31x Fish #1 to fish #2 = 1.7x Fish #1 to fish #2 = 1.7x Fish #2 to gull = 4.8x Fish #2 to gull = 4.8x Overall = 202,368x Overall = 202,368x

8. More evidence against DDT: Eggshells from Peregrines with high DDT levels showed significant thinning http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/corp/features/birdcam2000/gallery/04_03/13_32__2000_04_ 03_fullcam2.jpg

9. How does biomagnification work?  DDT, a synthetic molecule, cannot be broken down or excreted – Life doesn't have enzymes that "know" how.  Thus, it concentrates as animals higher on the food chain eat more and more food.

10. Solutions:  Ban DDT  "Hack out" captive-bred peregrine chicks  Build nest platforms for Osprey

11. How effective were these solutions?  Peregrines, Osprey, and Bald Eagles recovered However,  Other countries still use DDT and  DDT isn't the only chemical that biomagnifies!

12. The problem magnifies:  MethylMercury concentrates just like DDT and damages human Nervous Systems Nervous Systems  A person who eats one meal of lake trout from Lake Michigan will be exposed to more PCBs in one meal than in a lifetime of drinking water from the lake!

13. The Problem is ongoing:  PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)  PAHs (polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons)  Heavy metals: mercury mercury copper copper cadmium cadmium chromium chromium lead lead nickel nickel zinc zinc tin tin  TBT (tributyltin)  mercury from gold mining  cyanide  selenium The number of new molecules we introduce into our environment continues to increase.

14. The Ultimate Solution?  Models are being developed to predict toxicity of new chemicals  Pollution control must be intensified: Zero Tolerance in the Great Lakes?  Education: Increase awareness so everyone will decrease use and dispose of chemicals properly.

15. "This we know: The earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself." - Chief Seattle

16. Bibliography…  "ToxFAQsTM for DDT, DDE, and DDD," ATSDRIC Information Center Division of Toxicology, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA, June 11, 2001. 2/21/02 http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts35.html  Mader, Sylvia S. 1996. Biology - 5th Ed. WCB and Cox, G.W. 1997. Conservation Biology - 2nd ed. WCB 2/21/02 http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/102/2bioma95.html  "Chapter 4: The Great Lakes Today – Concerns" Government of Canada (Toronto, Ontario) and United States Environmental Protection Agency, Great Lakes National Program Office (Chicago, Illinois) The Great Lakes: An Environmental Atlas and Resource Book, Third Edition, 1994, http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/glat-ch4.html> 2/20/02 http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/atlas/glat-ch4.html  "Mercury: In Your Community and the Environment." PUB-CE-239 98 Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Pollution Prevention Partnership; Last Modified: November 29, 1999 Environment Canada : http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/glimr/classroom/millennium/mercury/mystery-e.html http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/glimr/classroom/millennium/mercury/mystery-e.html  "Great Lakes Initiatie," Wisconsin Sea Grant, 2001 http://seagrant.wisc.edu/Communications/Publications/One- pagers/CriticalPollutants.htmlhttp://seagrant.wisc.edu/Communications/Publications/One- pagers/CriticalPollutants.html 2/20/02 http://seagrant.wisc.edu/Communications/Publications/One- pagers/CriticalPollutants.html