title: Biomethylation and volatilization of arsenic by the marine microalgae Ostreococcus tauri.
abstract: Ostreococcus tauri is a marine green microalga, recognized as a model organism of the marine phytoplankton assemblage and widely distributed from coastal to oligotrophic waters. This study showed it could tolerate both arsenite and arsenate concentrations of up to 100μM, and cellular As concentration increased significantly (P<0.01) with increasing concentration of As(V) in the medium (0-50μM). It was revealed that As biotransformations were mediated by algal cells. Volatilized As was detected and the ability of As biovolatilization by O. tauri was demonstrated. The reduction of As(V) to As(III) might be the limiting step for As methylation and volatilization from seawater since the treatment with As(III) yielded five times more volatile As as compared to that with As(V). Arsenic biogeochemical cycle in the marine environment might play an important role based on the huge surface area of ocean (71%) and the massive number of marine phytoplankton.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Si-Yu
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Xin
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xi-Xiang
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rensing
authors.forename: Yong-Guan
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001711:Biotransformation; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D008745:Methylation; D058086:Microalgae / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Arsenic; Biomethylation; Marine microalgae; Volatilization