The diagram shows the way in which dangerous contaminants move through the ecosystem.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The given flow diagram shows the manner in which contaminants (such as heavy metals, waste, chemicals, and pesticides) move through the eco-system until they eventually reach various flora and fauna. It also notes how once such hazardous materials enter the environment’s soil or water, they are often only one step from coming into contact with life.
The top of the diagram is where contaminants are introduced to the process, either running into soil or water. Should these materials enter the former, they then flow into plants or seep into ground water; if they end up in ground water they will ultimately find themselves in the water system and be processed down that side of the diagram, whereas those that end up in plants are likely to be consumed by animals or people (and even if people do not eat infected plants directly, they may consume animals carrying the toxins).
The contaminants that enter the water system, whether directly or via soil and then ground water, will also conclude their journey by affecting people, but do so by passing through marine life rather than land-based plants and animals. Thus, although the path is changed and spreads the pollution through a different habitat, the net result for humans – in terms of eventually meeting chemicals they introduced further up the process – is very much the same.