Which of the following BEST describes biomagnification?

Biomagnification is the process through which the concentration of a chemical substance, particularly pollutants like heavy metals or persistent organic pollutants, increases as you move up the food chain. In higher trophic levels, such as predators, these substances accumulate in greater concentrations compared to organisms at lower levels, such as plants and herbivores. This occurs because smaller organisms accumulate these chemicals from their environment or food, and when larger predators consume them, they receive not only their own exposure but also that of all the organisms they have eaten. This results in a significant increase in the concentration of the pollutant for each successive trophic level, leading to potentially harmful effects on wildlife and humans due to toxic exposure.

In defining biomagnification, it's important to understand that it specifically addresses the accumulation of harmful chemicals through food chains, which is not related to the reduction of chemicals at lower trophic levels, an increase in biodiversity, or the absorption of chemicals by non-living components of the ecosystem like soil or water.