Effect of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and atrazine on marine microalgae

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 57; no. 6; pp. 559 - 568
• Main Authors: Debelius, B., Forja, J.M., Del Valls, A., Lubián, L.M.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Alkanesulfonic Acids - toxicity; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Atrazine; Atrazine - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Chaetoceros; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Eukaryota - drug effects; Flow cytometry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Isochrysis galbana; Las; Lethal Dose 50; Marine; Marine and brackish environment; Marine Biology; Marine microalgae; Nannochloropsis gaditana; Rhodomonas salina; Sea water ecosystems; Synecology; Tetraselmis chuii; Toxic cellular quota; Toxicity tests; Water Pollutants, Chemical - toxicity; Toxicity tests; Flow cytometry; Marine microalgae; Atrazine; Las; Toxic cellular quota; Detergent; Ecotoxicology; Toxicity; Endocrine disruptor; Toxicity test; Marine environment; Aquatic environment; Anionic surfactant; Water pollution
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2008.01.040

Five marine microalgae ( Tetraselmis chuii, Rhodomonas salina, Chaetoceros sp., Isochrysis galbana (T-iso) and Nannochloropsis gaditana), in the same biovolume quantity, were exposed to 72 h growth-inhibition tests with atrazine and LAS. In all cases, the inhibition effect of atrazine was higher than that of LAS up to two orders of magnitude higher in the case of T. chuii. In a second part of the study, initial cellular densities for each microalga strain and fixed organic compound concentration were varied, and results show density has a clear influence in growth inhibition tests. Finally, the sum of all data obtained in the study was expressed in terms of “toxic cellular quota” (mass of chemical substance per cell). The result was a sigmoid curve with a good fit, including the two main factors in toxicity tests, initial cellular density and contaminant concentration. This toxic cellular quota exhibits a general tendency to increase with cell volume/size.