Short-term influence of phosphate and nitrate on heavy metal accumulation by red alga Acrosorium uncinatum.

ABSTRACT

Heavy metal accumulation (Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb) in common marine macroalga, Acrosorium uncinatum under nutrient (phosphate and nitrate) enriched (experiment 1) and starved (experiment 2) conditions over a short exposure period (12 h) were examined in this study. Control was maintained in seawater contained nutrient solution without addition of metals and in seawater alone for experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Among the four metals studied, the accumulation of Zn, Ni, and Pb was considerably lower than Cu. The accumulation factor for all metals varies greatly in different nutrient concentrations, but it increases as the exposure of metal concentration decreases in both the experiments. The results of the present findings established that this macroalga is an accumulator of metals Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb and have the potential to accumulate these metals even in a short time exposure period (12 h). Even though metal accumulation by A. uncinatum largely depends on the available concentration in the medium, nutrients like phosphate and nitrate can affect the accumulation significantly.