Cell size dependent toxicity thresholds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to natural and cultured phytoplankton populations

Echeveste, Pedro; Agusti, Susana; Dachs, Jordi

Abstract

The toxicity of pyrene and phenanthrene to phytoplankton was studied by analyzing the effect on the growth, abundance and cell viability of cultured species and natural communities of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. A decrease in cell abundance, and growth rate was observed as concentration of PAHs increased, with catastrophic cell mortality induced at the highest PAH concentration tested. A strong positive linear relationship was observed between the LC50 (the PAH concentration at which cell population will decline by a half), and the species cell volume, for both phenanthrene and pyrene. Natural communities were however significantly more sensitive to PAHs than cultured phytoplankton, as indicated by the lower slope (e.g. 0.23 and 0.65, respectively, for pyrene) of the relationship LC50 vs. cell volume. The results highlight the importance of cell size in determining the phytoplankton sensitivity to PAHs identifying the communities from the oligotrophic ocean to be more vulnerable. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Más información

Título según WOS: ID WOS:000273245000040 Not found in local WOS DB
Título de la Revista: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
Volumen: 158
Número: 1
Editorial: ELSEVIER SCI LTD
Fecha de publicación: 2010
Página de inicio: 299
Página final: 307
DOI:

10.1016/j.envpol.2009.07.006

Notas: ISI