Integrated effects of important environmental factors on arsenic biotransformation and photosynthetic efficiency by marine microalgae.

Abstract Microalgae play an important role in arsenic (As) bioaccumulation and biogeochemical cycling in marine ecosystems. Marine microalgal growth and As biotransformation processes depend on environmental factors, including salinity, temperature, and nutrient concentrations, and data in this regard are available in the literature. However, research on the integrated effects of environmental factors on marine diatom species remains scarce and unclear. Herein, salinity and temperature are both considered in combination to investigate their influence on As uptake, biotransformation, and photosynthetic efficiency (PE). Two strains of marine diatom species, Asteroplanus karianus and Skeletonema sp., were cultured in an f/2-based nutrient medium. Microalgae were cultured under various temperatures (5.0, 20, and 35 °C) and salinities (1.0‰, 10‰, 25‰, and 40‰) in association with As and phosphate-enriched (1.0 μmol L−1 of As(V) + 10 μmol L−1 of PO43−) or deficient (20 nmol L−1 of As(V) + 1.0 μmol L−1 of PO43−) conditions. For both species, maximum growth, As accumulation, biotransformation, and PE were recorded at 10 and 14 day of culture. Microalgal growth, As accumulation, biotransformation, and PE were maximum at 20 °C with salinities of 10‰ and 20‰. Cell shape was also observed to be good at optimal at this temperature (20 °C) and range of salinity (10‰ and 20‰). A conceptual model of integrated effects of environmental factors on growth and As accumulation and biotransformation activities by these marine microalgae has been proposed. This study contributed to the elucidation of the relationship between environmental factors and As biotransformation mechanisms, which may further provide significant insight about As remediation processes.