Supplementary materials

It is a group of organic compounds that persist in the environment. They can travel long distances and accumulate in living organisms. They cause adverse health and environmental effects.

We are a group of human-made chemicals that do not degrade easily and remain in the environment for a long time. We are used in products to repel water, grease, and heat; non-stick coatings; food packaging; and textiles. We are known as “forever chemicals”.

The mass of water extending from the surface to the bottom sediment, including all its layers. Various organisms live in the water column depending on the depth, from phytoplankton on the surface to fish and microorganisms in deeper zones.

Biological signals or measurements that allow the detection of exposure to pollutants, stress, or changes in an organism's health.

A process by which a pollutant accumulates in an organism throughout its life, generally by absorbing it directly from the water.

The process by which a pollutant increases its concentration as it moves up the food chain. Each time an organism feeds on another, it accumulates more pollutant. An example of this is heavy metals.

It is that which was generated in the past and remains present today, even though those substances are no longer used or released.

It is the set of feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. It shows who eats whom and how energy flows in nature. Unlike a simple (linear) food chain, a food web is a complex network, where the same species can feed on several others and, at the same time, be food for different predators.