Unexpected growth promotion of Chlorella sacchrarophila triggered by herbicides DCMU

Zhangzhang Xie; Zhiyu Wu; Oumei Wang; Fanghua Liu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131216

Unexpected growth promotion of Chlorella sacchrarophila triggered by herbicides DCMU

J Hazard Mater. 2023 Jun 15:452:131216. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131216. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Authors

Zhangzhang Xie¹, Zhiyu Wu¹, Oumei Wang¹, Fanghua Liu²

Affiliations

¹ National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, PR China.
² National-Regional Joint Engineering Research Center for Soil Pollution Control and Remediation in South China, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, PR China; Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao 266237, PR China. Electronic address: fhliu@soil.gd.cn.

PMID: 36934629
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131216

Abstract

The ecotoxicological effects of herbicide contamination on the autotrophic growth of microalgae in aquatic environments have been major concerns. However, little is known about the influence of herbicides on the mixotrophic growth of microalgae. This study investigated the ecotoxicological effect of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl-urea (DCMU) on the mixotrophic growth of Chlorella sacchrarophila FACHB 4. Results showed that C. sacchrarophila in mixotrophy was more resistant to DCMU than in photoautotrophy. Moreover, a low content of DCMU (20-80 μg·L^-1) promoted the mixotrophic growth of C. sacchrarophila, and the promotion effect was obviously enhanced with the increase in light intensity. The chlorophyll content and glucose absorption rate of C. sacchrarophila were found to increase after incubation with DCMU for 24 h. Transcriptome analyses revealed that the mechanism of DCMU to promote the mixotrophic growth of C. sacchrarophila was probably through accelerating glucose uptake and utilization, which was accomplished by reducing photodamage and increasing the chlorophyll content of C. sacchrarophila. This study not only revealed an unexpected bloom of mixotrophic microalgae triggered by herbicides, but it also shed new light on an effective and low-cost strategy to improve the microalgae productivity for utilization.

Keywords: 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)− 1,1-dimethyl-urea (DCMU); Chlorella sacchrarophila; Herbicide; Mixotrophy; Photodamage.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biomass
Chlorella*
Chlorophyll
Diuron
Herbicides* / toxicity
Microalgae*

Substances

Herbicides
Diuron
Chlorophyll