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Toxicity of cadmium and zinc on two microalgae, Scenedesmus obliquus and Desmodesmus pleiomorphus, from Northern Portugal

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Abstract

Aquatic environments often contain toxic heavy metals that may enter the food web via uptake by microalgae and eventually cause severe poisoning problems at higher trophic levels. The effects of Cd and Zn cations upon growth of two native green microalgal species, Scenedesmus obliquus and Desmodesmus pleiomorphus (previously isolated from a polluted site in Northern Portugal), were accordingly evaluated. Growth inhibition of the microalgal cells was determined following exposure for 96 h to several initial concentrations of aqueous solutions of either of those two metals. At the higher end of Cd and Zn experimental concentration ranges, a significant reduction in cell density was observed in the cultures; EC50 values, calculated after fitting a Weibull model to the experimental data, were 0.058 and 1.92 mg L−1 for Cd and 16.99 and 4.87 mg L−1 for Zn in the case of S. obliquus and D. pleiomorphus, respectively. One observed that S. obliquus can tolerate higher Zn concentrations than D. pleiomorphus, but the reverse holds regarding exposure to Cd.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Câmara Municipal de Estarreja for allowing full access to the contaminated site. This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and Fundo Social Europeu (III Quadro Comunitário de Apoio), via a PhD research fellowship granted to author C. M. Monteiro (ref. SFRH/BD/9332/2002) and supervised by author F. X. Malcata.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CBQF/Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

    Cristina M. Monteiro, Susana C. Fonseca & Paula M. L. Castro

  2. School of Technology and Management, Viana do Castelo Polytechnic Institute, Avenida do Atlântico, 4900-348, Viana do Castelo, Portugal

    Susana C. Fonseca

  3. Avenida Carlos Oliveira Campos, ISMAI-Instituto Superior da Maia, Castelo da Maia, 4475-690, Avioso S. Pedro, Portugal

    F. Xavier Malcata

  4. CIMAR/CIIMAR–Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Rua dos Bragas no. 289, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal

    F. Xavier Malcata

Authors
  1. Cristina M. Monteiro
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  2. Susana C. Fonseca
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  3. Paula M. L. Castro
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  4. F. Xavier Malcata
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Correspondence to F. Xavier Malcata.

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Monteiro, C.M., Fonseca, S.C., Castro, P.M.L. et al. Toxicity of cadmium and zinc on two microalgae, Scenedesmus obliquus and Desmodesmus pleiomorphus, from Northern Portugal. J Appl Phycol 23, 97–103 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-010-9542-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-010-9542-6

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