Abstract
Understanding the mechanisms by which marine organisms cope to environmental stressful conditions is a fundamental question for ecotoxicology. We examined biochemical and cellular responses of Hypnea musciformis exposed in vitro to four concentrations of diesel oil (0 (control), 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1 % v/v) for 0, 30 min, 1, 12, and 24 h. Chl a content decreased after exposure for 1, 12, and 24 h. Carotenoids increased after 30 min and 12 h and decreased after 1 and 24 h. Phenolic content was lower in samples exposed to 0.1 and 1 % of diesel oil. After treatment, samples showed a decrease in floridean starch grains, cell volume and autofluorescence intensity, changes in chloroplast morphology, and on the surface topography of the cell wall. These findings provide preliminary but important results on biochemical and cellular responses of H. musciformis when exposed to diesel oil and could be considered as tools for monitoring oil spills.
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