21
QuizMultiple Choice

Environmental Scientists and Ecologists

Question 21 • SS 25-26 Environmental Science A

How did DDT nearly drive the Peregrine Falcon to extinction in the 1950s and 60s?

Answer
A
reproductive disruption
B
blindness
C
cancer
D
feather loss

Explanation

DDT accumulated in the food chain and concentrated in Peregrine Falcons that ate contaminated prey. It interfered with reproduction, especially by causing females to lay eggs with shells too thin to survive incubation, so fewer chicks hatched. This reproductive disruption nearly drove the falcon to extinction.

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