Abstract
Heavy metals may cause effects on the cyanobacterial cell including possible damage to the membranes and leakage from cells resulting in the loss or reduction of essential bioelements. There are many reports in the literature concerning morphological, biochemical and physiological changes caused by cadmium in cyanobacteria, but data on the influence of cadmium on the ion balance of the cell dealing with the interactive effect of cadmium and calcium are limited. Calcium has been found to exert a protective role against heavy metal toxicity in a variety of organisms, We previously reported that calcium is able to counteract the toxic effect of cadmium towards growth, photosynthesis, nitrogenase activity and pigment content of the cyanobacterium Nostoc UAM208. In the present study, we analyzed the content of essential ions, as affected by cadmium treatment, to search for possible mechanisms of heavy metal damage and toxicity in Nostoc. We also studied whether calcium enrichment (1.1 mM final concentration) has any influence on the heavy metal effect on those ionic contents. 13 refs., 2 figs.
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