Characteristics of arsenic accumulation by the seaweeds Fucus spiralis and Ascophyllum nodosum

Abstract

This study examines the accumulation of 74As-arsenic in the seaweeds Fucus spiralis (L.) and Ascophyllum nodosum (L.) collected from Restronguet Creek in southwest England during 1978. Also, the influence of environmental factors (valence state of arsenic, pH, salinity, temperature, phosphate concentration) and metabolic inhibitors on the uptake of arsenic by F. spiralis is examined. Most of the arsenic in the seaweeds was non-exchangeable with labelled arsenic in the medium. The accumulation of 74As reached a steady state in 1 to 8 d, depending on the species and external arsenic concentration. At steady state the accumulated arsenic is proportional to external arsenate concentration. F. spiralis accumulated 4 times more arsenate than arsenite. The short-term uptake of arsenic increased in proportion to the external arsenic concentration up to a level of 1000 μg l-1; it then remained constant at higher levels of arsenic. Arsenic uptake increased in direct proportion to increasing temperature. Variation of pH or salinity had no effect on arsenic incorporation. The accumulation of arsenic occurred only in living tissue and was inhibited by KCN in a concentration-dependent manner. The uptake of arsenic by F. spiralis in the presence of photo-synthetic inhibitors (DCMU or CMU) or in the dark was greater than in the light controls. Thus, it was concluded that energy is required for arsenic uptake and this is derived from respiration rather than photosynthesis. There was no evidence for a common mechanism of phosphate and arsenate uptake by macroalgae, although high concentrations of phosphate (40 to 400 μM) initially inhibited arsenate uptake.