Microbeads are tiny, smooth, plastic spheres found in common household products such as facial soap. These beads, measuring from 0.0004 to 1.24 mm, roughly the size of some fi sh eggs, are too small to be removed by water treatment systems. Thus, they end up in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. The accumulation of these microbeads is an environmental concern for aquatic biologists because microbeads

a) make the lakes and rivers cloudy and dirty, affecting their appearance

b) may stick to some household water pipes, preventing drainage problems

c) could be mistaken for food by some species, working their way up the food chain

d) could clog fishing nets, affecting the ability of fishermen to catch fish

Question

Jewel Myers

Biology

26 March, 15:23

Microbeads are tiny, smooth, plastic spheres found in common household products such as facial soap. These beads, measuring from 0.0004 to 1.24 mm, roughly the size of some fi sh eggs, are too small to be removed by water treatment systems. Thus, they end up in rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water. The accumulation of these microbeads is an environmental concern for aquatic biologists because microbeads

a) make the lakes and rivers cloudy and dirty, affecting their appearance

b) may stick to some household water pipes, preventing drainage problems

c) could be mistaken for food by some species, working their way up the food chain

d) could clog fishing nets, affecting the ability of fishermen to catch fish

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Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Heath Skinner · Answer 1

c) could be mistaken for food by some species, working their way up the food chain

Explanation:

Microbeads seem to take the appearance of fish eggs, of which some aquatic organisms usually feeds on these fish eggs on a normal day. So, these microbeads could be mistaken to be food source by some species, thereby ingesting these microbeads which could be a source of problem to their system and could district the ecosystem of such habitat. Hence, this poses a serious environmental concern for aquatic biologists.