Date of Award

Summer 1976

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Ocean & Earth Sciences

Program/Concentration

Oceanography

Committee Director

Anthony J. Provenzano

Committee Member

John C. Ludwick

Committee Member

Harold G. Marshall

Committee Member

Donald D. Adams

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.O35 C434

Abstract

Jolley (1973) identified and quantified 4-chlororesorcinol at the 1.2 μg/1 level in secondary treated sewage effluent as one of 17 stable organochlorine compounds. The present report presents the first data on the effect of 4-chlororesorcinol on the growth potential of the marine phytoplankter, Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher (Dun clone).

The assay method used herein was that of the Marine Algal Assay Procedure: Bottle Test (EPA, 1974). An algal culture chamber was constructed capable of providing controlled temperature (18 ± 2°C) and light (400-500 ft-c) conditions. Four parameters were used to describe the growth response of D. tertiolecta including maximum specific growth rate, cells/ml, dry weight, and in vivo fluorescence.

Preliminary studies demonstrated that within a given assay there was very good correlation between the growth response indicated by cell division rates and in vivo fluorescence. Thus, in vivo fluorescence was shown to be a rapid and sensitive means of monitoring daily changes in algal biomass. In toxicity bioassays, concentration levels of 4- chlororesorcinol equal to 10-3, 10-2, 10-1, 10°, and 101 mg/1 did not significantly affect the growth of D. tertiolecta. However, based on in vivo fluorescence and dry weight data, 102 mg/1 reduced algal growth, as compared to controls, by 71 and 70 percent, respectively. The same concentration was also found to affect deleteriously the morphological and behavioral characteristics of the cells. A concentration of 103 mg/1 was 100 percent algicidal after 24 hours. Results indicate that 4-chlororesorcinol would not be toxic to D. tertiolecta at concentrations found in the natural aquatic environment. The implications of reaction of 4-chlororesorcinol and related compounds on natural phytoplankton community structure and its trophic relationships are discussed.

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DOI

10.25777/cycb-bs81

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