Effects of Cadmium, Copper and Zinc on Growth of Four Isolated Algae from a Highly Polluted Argentina River

Abstract

Toxicity of cadmium, copper and zinc was tested on four green algal species (Ankistrodesmus fusiformis, Chlorella ellipsoidea, Monoraphidium contortum and Scenedesmus acuminatus) isolated from a highly polluted river (Matanza–Riachuelo River, Buenos Aires, Argentina). The relative abundance of these species in river waters showed that C. ellipsoidea was the most abundant species (mean 4,540 ind mL⁻¹), whereas the less abundant species was S. acuminatus (mean 220 ind mL⁻¹). The most sensitive species was A. fusiformis, which EC₅₀ were Cd = 141 μg L⁻¹, Cu = 72 μg L⁻¹, and Zn = 199 μg L⁻¹, whereas C. ellipsoidea was the most resistant species to copper (EC₅₀ = 489 μg L⁻¹) and cadmium (EC₅₀ = 429 μg L⁻¹), and M. contortum and S. acuminatus were the most resistant species to zinc (EC₅₀ = 381 and 394 μg L⁻¹, respectively).