Effect of amino acids on the toxicity of heavy metals to phytoplankton

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1988 · Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01688377· OSTI ID:5165478

Kosakowska, A; Falkowski, L; Lewandowska, J

Sea water contains free amino acids in concentrations ranging from 20 to 100 ..mu..g dm/sup -3/. The most abundant representatives of this group of compounds in the surface water were found to be glycine, serine and ornithine. The amino acids are utilized in the phytoplankton cells as the source of nitrogen as well as carbon in the case of slow rate of photosynthesis. Heavy metals distribution in the sea water can be indispensable or delitorious for the organisms living in that environment depending on their concentration and speciation. The bioavailability as well as toxicity of the elements are strongly influenced by the organic matter dissolved in water. The effect of a number of organic compounds, including amino acids, on the toxicity of heavy metals was tested, but there were no reports elucidating compounds representing various types of structure. This paper deals with the effect of amino acids representing various structure groups on the toxicity of copper, cadmium and mercury against to Chlorella vulgaris and Anabeana variabilis.

• Research Organization: Institute of Oceanology, Sopot (Poland)
• OSTI ID: 5165478
• Journal Information: Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.; (United States), Vol. 40:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMINO ACIDS
TOXICITY
METALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
PHYTOPLANKTON
BIOCHEMISTRY
ALANINES
ASPARAGINE
CADMIUM CHLORIDES
CHLORELLA
COPPER SULFATES
CYANOBACTERIA
GLUTAMIC ACID
GLUTAMINE
HISTIDINE
MERCURY CHLORIDES
METHIONINE
PROLINE
VALINE
ALGAE
AMIDES
AMINES
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AZOLES
CADMIUM COMPOUNDS
CADMIUM HALIDES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMISTRY
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DRUGS
ELEMENTS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IMIDAZOLES
LIPOTROPIC FACTORS
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
MERCURY HALIDES
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLANKTON
PLANTS
PYRROLES
PYRROLIDINES
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
UNICELLULAR ALGAE
560300* - Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology