Effects of CO2 enrichment on two microalgae species: A toxicity approach using consecutive generations

Abstract

As a result of the increasing pressure provoked by anthropogenic activities, the world climate is changing and oceans health is in danger. One of the most important factors affecting the marine environment is the well-known process called ocean acidification. Also, there are other natural or anthropogenic processes that produce an enrichment of CO₂ in the marine environment (CO₂ leakages from Carbon Capture and Storage technologies (CCS), organic matter diagenesis, volcanic vents, etc). Most of the studies related to acidification of the marine environment by enrichment of CO₂ have been focused on short-term experiments. To evaluate the effects related to CO₂ enrichment, laboratory-scale experiments were performed using the marine microalgae Tetraselmis chuii and Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Three different pH values (two treatments - pH 7.4 and 6.0 - and a control - pH 8.0) were tested on the selected species across four consecutive generations. Seawater was collected and exposed to different scenarios of CO₂ enrichment by means of CO₂ injection. The results showed different effects depending on the species and the generation used. Effects on T. chuii were shown on cell density, chlorophyll-a and metabolic activity, however, a slight adaptation across generations was found in this last parameter. P. tricornutum was more sensitive to acidification conditions through generations, with practically total growth inhibition in the fourth one. The conclusions obtained in this work are useful to address the potential ecological risk related to acidification by enrichment of CO₂ on the marine ecosystem by using consecutive generations of microalgae.

Keywords: Acidification; Climate change; Marine microalgae; Transgenerational effects; pH.