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ACCUMULATION AND REDUCTION OF ARSENATE BY THE FRESHWATER GREEN ALGA CHLORELLA SP. (CHLOROPHYTA)
Author(s) -
Knauer Katja,
Hemond Harry
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of phycology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.85
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1529-8817
pISSN - 0022-3646
DOI - 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2000.99056.x
Subject(s) - arsenate , arsenic , chlorophyta , phosphate , biology , chlorella , algae , environmental chemistry , botany , arsenite , green algae , chemistry , biochemistry , organic chemistry
Arsenate accumulation and reduction kinetics at both high and low phosphate concentrations were investigated in the green alga Chlorella sp, isolated from the arsenic‐contaminated Upper Mystic Lake near Boston, MA. Growth rate, accumulated cellular arsenic, and release of As(III) were determined over a range of arsenate concentrations. Arsenate inhibited growth and reduced final cell yield at high phosphate concentration. However, growth rate, final cell yield, and cellular arsenic content were all enhanced by higher arsenate concentrations in cultures grown at a low concentration of phosphate. The traditional view that phosphate‐limited cells are necessarily more sensitive to As(V) toxicity may not be correct. The reduction rates of As(V) by Chlorella sp. obtained in our laboratory were similar to net reduction rates measured in epilimnetic water from the Upper Mystic Lake, demonstrating the importance of phytoplankton in arsenic reduction in freshwater.