Increasing arsenic accumulation as an implication of climate change: a case study using red algae.

Climate change due to an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is a global issue. It can impact aquatic environments by affecting water flow, pollutant transformation and migration, and other toxicant-related effects. We assessed the interactive effects of temperature warming and pH changes on variations in accumulation of total arsenic (As) in the red alga Sarcodia suae at different levels of arsenite (As).

Total and inorganic arsenic biosorption by Sarcodia suiae (Rhodophyta), as affected by controlled environmental conditions.

Temperature, light intensity (LI), adsorbent source and concentrations are key external factors affecting algal metabolism and thus metal-accumulation mechanisms. In this study, the alga Sarcodia suiae was exposed individually to a range of temperature (15, 20, and 25 °C), and LI (30, 55, and 80 μmol photons m s) at initial arsenate [As(V)] concentration (conc: 0, 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 μg L) conditions, to investigate the variations of total arsenic (TAs) and inorganic arsenic (iAs) accumulation mechanisms in the algal body.

Effect of Light Intensity on the Mechanism of Inorganic Arsenic Accumulation and Patterns in the Red Macroalga, Sarcodia suiae.

Arsenic is a noted dangerous metalloid found in many organisms, including humans, that accumulate via food consumption of aquatic products such as macroalgae, particularly where they are a major component of the human diet. The mechanism of accumulation of inorganic arsenic (iAs) as the most toxic form of arsenic (As) was investigated under three different light intensities (LI) (30, 55, and 80 μmol photons m s) at varied arsenite (As (III)) concentrations (conc) (0, 125, 250, and 500 μg L) using Sarcodia suiae, a red marine macroalga. The depigmentation of the algal fronds from deep red to slightly pinkish-orange and solid green has been confirmed as a form of developmental acclimation, and the direct toxic effects of conc and LI were manifested by the degree of severity of this symptom.

The Effect of Environmental Factors on Total Arsenic Accumulation in Sarcodia suiae, Rhodophyta.

Little is known about the effects of environmental factors on total arsenic (TAs) accumulation in marine Rhodophyta. The effects of five environmental factors (temperature, light intensity, pH, exposure duration, and phosphate) at various As(III) concentrations were investigated in Sarcodia suiae. The highest TAs accumulations were recorded at 25°C, a luminance of 80 µmol photons m s, and a pH of 8.