The ‘Trophic Contamination Hypothesis’ Posits that Shorebirds Accumulate Industrial and Urban Pollution at Stopover Sites

Reading Passage Question

The ‘trophic contamination hypothesis’ posits that shorebirds accumulate industrial and urban pollution at stopover sites, toxins that are subsequently released in sudden high doses as fat is burned during migratory flights, disrupting the bird’s ability to make migratory decisions. For example, large contaminant doses might hamper refueling by altering the satiation signal in shorebirds so that they do not accumulate sufficient fat for migration. A recent study found that, out of those shorebirds that were unable to migrate, some weighed as much as 20% less than the average migrating bird of their species. Whether such findings are a result of shorebirds suffering from trophic contamination, or whether such birds simply cut their migrations short by landing in a foreign ecosystem, is unlikely to be resolved until further studies are conducted.

One promising line of research involves organochlorines, toxins deposited on mudflats in the 1970s and 1980s, now buried by sediments but finally close enough to the surface to be of issue to foraging shorebirds. Organochlorines should be more accessible to long-billed shorebirds that probe deeply for prey than to short-billed species that forage at or near the surface. We predict that an increased number of long-billed shorebirds will either be unable to migrate or will be found along an aberrant flight path

“The ‘trophic contamination hypothesis’ posits that shorebirds accumulate industrial and urban pollution at stopover sites”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 3 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. The most immediate effect on birds that have accumulated toxins in their fat deposits is

1. a tendency to navigate along a divergent flight path
2. an inability to realize when they have eaten a sufficient amount of food
3. a diminished capacity to retrace their migratory route
4. an increased likelihood to exhibit aggression towards other species
5. an increased likelihood to exhibit aggression towards other species

2. According to the passage, the long-billed shorebird is expected to be more likely than the short-billed shorebird to have trouble migrating because

1. it is more vulnerable to the effects of organochlorines
2. it typically is unable to differentiate between a foreign ecosystem and a familiar one
3. it stops feeding before it is fully satiated
4. it grazes in parts of the mudflat in which the surface is known to have a higher concentration of organochlorines
5. it digs deeper into the earth and is therefore more likely to encounter toxins

3. the author implies that foreign ecosystems have which potential effect on shorebirds?

1. They can make a bird more vulnerable to predators.
2. They can expose shorebirds to foreign toxins.
3. They can diminish a bird’s ability to navigate.
4. They can lead to a reduction in the bird’s weight.
5. They can cause a bird to become separated from its flock.

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