Mechanisms of Tri-N-Butyltin Bioaccumulation by Marine Phytoplankton

Abstract

We examined uptake of tri-n-butyltin (TBT) by three genera of marine microalgae and one genus of cyanobacterium. There was a linear relationship between external concentrations of TBT and cell burdens in the microalgae Nannochloris sp., Chaetoceros gracilis, and the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. (PR-6). The relationship between external TBT concentrations and cell TBT burdens was distinctly nonlinear for Isochrysis galbana. Competitive binding experiments showed a decrease of approximately 88% of the total bound radiolabeled TBT to I. galbana in the presence of a 200-fold excess of unlabeled TBT. No significant decrease of bound TBT was observed for Nannochloris sp. These studies demonstrate that either partitioning or binding may control bioaccumulation of TBT by marine phytoplankton.