What is bioaccumulation and how does it affect species in a food chain?

Bioaccumulation is the build-up of substances, like pesticides, in an organism. According to the principles of biomagnification, if this organism is consumed, the substance is magnified to, I believe, 10x its original impact and passed along each level amplifying by 10x each level. For example, if a pesticide is applied to a plant and a rabbit eats it, the pesticide is in the rabbit but 10 times stronger than it was on the plant; when a snake eats the rabbit, the pesticide is now in the snake but 10 times stronger than it was in the rabbit, and so on.

Bioaccumulation refers to the process by which certain substances, such as pesticides, heavy metals, or other pollutants, accumulate in an organism's body over time, at a rate faster than they can be metabolized or excreted. This process can lead to higher concentrations of the substance in an organism than in its surrounding environment.

Bioaccumulation affects species in a food chain through a process called biomagnification. As smaller organisms that have accumulated toxins are eaten by larger predators, the concentration of these substances increases higher up the food chain. Predators at the top of the food chain, therefore, can accumulate significantly higher levels of toxins than those found in the environment or in the organisms at the base of the food chain. This can lead to various health problems, including reproductive issues, organ damage, and increased mortality rates.