Analysis of Bioaccumulation-Related Illustrations in Text Books

Abstract

Bioaccmulation is an important concept in applied ecology that explains behavior of xenobiotics in ecosystem and includes bioconcentration and biomagnification. Bioaccumulation-related knowledge can be important as a scientific literacy for students, because learning the correct concept is needed to understand the human impacts on the environment in ecosystem level and to make a reasonable decision about increasing threats of new bioaccumulative chemicals. This study was aimed to analyze mainly the illustrations on the bioaccumulation-related illustrations in Korean textbooks and to suggest new illustration for understanding the concepts. The illustrations used in the analyzed text books were mainly picture type and most of them have indicative function with the usage of materials offer rather than explanatory function. The analyzed illustrations mostly presented 'bioconcentration (exact term: biomagnification)' as the most used terms, the ecosystem combined with aquatic and terrestrial feature as the examplary ecosysem, human or bird as final consumers, and DDT as the representative material. The food chain was clearly shown in the illustrations, but the direct uptake from the environment was not presented. Therefore, new illustrations for understanding bioaccumulation need to have explanatory function by using a diagram with bioaccumulation processes of DDT based on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem.