English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

The effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on phytoplankton have been extensively documented, but there is limited knowledge about the physiological responses of marine primary producers to phenanthrene at environmentally relevant levels. Here, we investigated the toxicity of phenanthrene (0, 1, and 5 or 10 μg L −1 ) to the physiological performance of two cosmopolitan phytoplankton species: the green alga  Chlorella vulgaris  and bloom-forming diatom  Skeletonema costatum . The specific growth rates of both species were remarkably inhibited at both low (1 μg L −1 ) and high phenanthrene concentrations (5 or 10 μg L −1 ), while their tolerance to phenanthrene differed. At the highest phenanthrene concentration (10 μg L −1 ), the growth of  C. vulgaris  was inhibited by 69%, and no growth was observed for  S. costatum  cells. The superoxide dismutase activity of both species was enhanced at high phenanthrene concentration, and increased activity of catalase was only observed at high phenanthrene concentration in  C. vulgaris . Interestingly, the low phenanthrene concentration stimulated the photosynthetic and relative electron transport rates of  S. costatum , whereas hormetic effects were not found for growth. Based on our results, phenanthrene could be detrimental to these two species at a environmentally relevant level, while different tolerance levels were detected.

Stimulatory and inhibitory effects of phenanthrene on physiological performance of Chlorella vulgaris and Skeletonema costatum