ACUTE TOXICITY AND INHIBITORY RESPONSE OF MARINE MICROALGAE (Skeletonema costatum Cleve 1873) EXPOSED TO WATER-SOLUBLE FRACTIONS OF CRUDE OIL, DIESEL, SPENT ENGINE OIL AND THEIR COMPOSITE MIXTURE
Keywords:
Acute toxicity, Water-soluble fractions, Skeletonema costatum, Growth inhibitionAbstract
Petroleum oils and their derivatives continue to devastate marine and coastal water ecosystems despite significant technological advancements in extraction and transportation systems. This is particularly true given their toxicity to sentinel organisms including Skeletonema costatum. This study assessed the potential of water-soluble fractions (WSFs) of crude oil, diesel, spent engine oil, and their composite mixture, to inhibit the growth of marine microalgae, Skeletonema costatum. At 72 hours after exposure, the sensitivity of test organisms to the WSF of various petroleum hydrocarbons were assessed using potential inhibition of cellular growth. The inhibition concentrations (IC50) were determined as diesel 1.08% (10.8 g/l) > spent engine oil 2.27% (22.7 g/l) > crude oil 4.57% (45.7 g/l) > composite mixture 5.54% (55.4 g/l). The control population revealed an initial cell density of 2x104 cells/ml to an average of 33.92x104 cells/ml. The WSF of crude oil and its derivative hydrocarbons caused increasing inhibition of cellular growth as exposure concentrations increased. It was observed that trace levels of the hydrocarbons caused underlying cellular response which later manifested in growth inhibition of S. costatum. Petroleum hydrocarbons, even in trace levels, may contaminate marine water systems and exert toxicity on microalgae, leading to disruptions in the aquatic food chain.
References
Bamidele, J. F. and Eshagberi, G. O. (2015). Effects of water soluble fractions of crude oil, diesel fuel and gasoline on Salvinia nymphellula. Journal of Natural Science Research 5 (14): 31-37.
Bhattacharjee, D. and Fernando, O. J. (2008). Short-term studies of water soluble fractions of diesel on growth of Chaetoceros calcitrans. Research Journal of Environmental Toxicology 2(1): 17-22.
Buskey, E. J., White, H. K. and Esbaugh, A. J. (2016). Impact of oil spills on marine life in the Gulf of Mexico: Effects on plankton, nekton, and deep-sea benthos. Oceanography 29:174-181.
Colvin, K., Lewis, C. and Galloway, T. S. (2020). Current issues confounding the rapid toxicological assessment of oil spills. Journal Chemosphere 125585.
Guillard, R. R. L. and Ryther, J. H. (1962). Studies on marine planktonic diatoms I. Cyclotella nana hustedt and Detonula confervacea (Cleve) Gran. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 8: 229-239.
Hafez, T., Bilbao, D., Etxebarria, N., Duran, R. and Ortiz-Zarragoitia, M. (2021). Application of a biological multilevel response approach in the copepod Acartia tonsa for toxicity testing of three oil water accommodated fraction. Marine Environmental Research 169: 105-378.
Hallare, A. V., Lasafin, K. J. A. and Magallanes, J. R. (2011). Shift in phytoplankton community structure in a tropical marine reserve before and after a major oil spill event. International Journal Environmental Resources 5(3):651-660.
Kennedy, C. J. (2014). Multiple effects of oil and its components in fish. In: Impacts of oil spill disasters on marine habitats and fisheries in North America. Edited by: Alford, J. B., Peterson, M. S. and Green, C. G., CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. p. 3-34.
Laws, E. A. (2017). Aquatic pollution: An introductory text. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Lee, K., Boufadel, M., Chen, B., Foght, J., Hodson, P., Swanson, S. and Venosa, A. (2015). Expert panel report on the behaviour and environmental impacts of crude oil released into aqueous environments. Royal Society of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. ISBN: 978-1-928140-02-3. 461 p.
Nwilo, P. C. and Badejo, O. T. (2005). Oil spill problems and management in the Niger Delta. International Oil Spill Conference, Miami, Florida. USA
Olaleye, Y. O. and Kadiri, M. O. (2021). Toxicity of water accommodated fractions of waste engine oil on growth of selected marine algae. West African Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 2(1): 1-8.
Paixa˜o, J. F., Nascimento, I. A., Pereira, S. A., Leite, M. B. L., Correia, G., Severiano, J., Reboucas, M., Matias, G. R. A. and Rodrigues, I. L. P. (2007). Estimating the gasoline components and formulations toxicity to microalgae (Tetraselmis chuii) and oyster (Crassostrea rhizophorae) embryos: an approach to minimize pollution risks. Environmental Research 103:365–374.
Parab, S. R., Pandit, R. A., Kadam, A. N. and Indap, M. M. (2008). Effect of Bombay high crude oil and its water soluble fraction on growth and metabolism of diatom Thalassiosira sp. Indian Journal of Marine Science 37: 251–255.
Pereira, S. A., Arau´jo, V. Q., Nascimento, I. A., Reboucas, M. V., Vieira, F. S. V., de Almeida, M. V. A. and Chinalia, F. A. (2012). Toxicity of biodiesel, diesel and biodiesel/diesel blends: comparative sub-lethal effects of water-soluble fractions to microalgae species. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination Toxicology 88(2): 234-238. DOI: 10.1007/s00128-011-0430-9
Sadani, M., Attar, H., Faraji, M., Jaberian, B., Hajian, M., and Mehrizi, E. (2011). Effects of physical and chemical characteristics of water on toxicity of crude oil water-soluble fraction on Daphnia magna. World Applied Sciences Journal 14: 1744-1747.
Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER), Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) and Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) (2012).
Singh, R., Birru, R. and Sibi, G. (2017) Nutrient removal efficiencies of Chlorella vulgaris from urban wastewater for reduced eutrophication. Journal of Environmental Protection 8: 1-11.
The International Organization for Standardization ISO 10253 (2006). Water quality — marine algal growth inhibition test with Skeletonema costatum and Phaeodactylum tricornutum.
Ukpaka, C. P., Lezorghia, S. B. and Nwosu, H. (2020). Crude oil degradation in loamy soil using Neem root extracts: an experimental study. Chemistry International 6(3): 160–167.
Varjani, S. J., Rana, D. P., Jain, A. K., Bateja, S. and Upasani, V. N. (2015). Synergistic ex-situ biodegradation of crude oil by a halotolerant bacterial consortium of indigenous strains isolated from onshore sites of Gujarat, India. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation 103:116–124.
Yakub, A. S. and Ajijo, M. R. (2016). Assessment of acute toxicity of water soluble fraction of diesel on two species of marine microalgae. Journal of Aquatic Science 31 (2B).
