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Changes in motility and adhesion behavior of Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher under presence of heavy metal cadmium

The aim of this study was to examine algal cell behavior in the growth medium and in the presence of heavy metal cadmium. Motility and adhesion behavior at the model interface was analyzed. Selected model species was Dunaliella tertiolecta Butcher, a motile green alga that possesses two flagella of equal length. Deficiency of a rigid cell wall makes this species very susceptible to changes in the ecosystem, thus making it an excellent choice in stress research. Optical microscopy was used to determine cell abundance and to capture videos for motility analyses. Algal cell motility parameters, such as velocity, length and shape of trajectories, were tracked and analyzed with an open-access bioimaging software ICY (The Institut Pasteur, France). Changes in motility parameters, in terms of the reduced number of motile cells and slower velocity, were determined. Electrochemical methods of polarography and amperometry at the dropping mercury electrode were used to characterize cell suspension in terms of the level of polydispersity and potential range of cell adhesion. Increase of cadmium concentration in the culture resulted in a decrease of cell abundance and occurrence of released surface-active particles and micro aggregates, presumably as a consequence of the stress-induced metabolic activity. Adhesion behavior at the broader potential range remains preserved. Since dissolved heavy metals are widely dispersed water pollutants due to industrial, agricultural and urban development, these results will help improve the knowledge about survival and adaptation capability of algal organisms in the stress- impacted aquatic ecosystems.

motility ; Dunaliella ; Cadmium ; adhesion

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