title: Bioabsorption of cadmium, copper and lead by the red macroalga Gelidium floridanum: physiological responses and ultrastructure features.
abstract: Heavy metals, such as lead, copper, cadmium, zinc, and nickel, are among the most common pollutants found in both industrial and urban effluents. High concentrations of these metals cause severe toxic effects, especially to organisms living in the aquatic ecosystem. Cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and copper (Cu) are the heavy metals most frequently implicated as environmental contaminants, and they have been shown to affect development, growth, photosynthesis and respiration, and morphological cell organization in seaweeds. This paper aimed to evaluate the effects of 50μM and 100μM of Cd, Pb and Cu on growth rates, photosynthetic pigments, biochemical parameters and ultrastructure in Gelidium floridanum. To accomplish this, apical segments of G. floridanum were individually exposed to the respective heavy metals over a period of 7 days. Plants exposed to Cd, Cu and Pb showed discoloration of thallus pigmentation, chloroplast alteration, especially degeneration of thylakoids, and decrease in photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll a and phycobiliproteins, in samples treated with Cd and Cu. Moreover, cell wall thickness and the volume of plastoglobuli increased. X-ray microanalysis detected Cd, Cu and Pb absorption in the cell wall. The results indicate that Cd, Pb and Cu negatively affect metabolic performance and cell ultrastructure in G. floridanum and that Cu was more toxic than either Pb or Cd.
authors.affiliation: Plant Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.affiliation: Postdoctoral Researcher of Postgraduate Program in Cell Biology and Development, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476 Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: edcash@ccb.ufsc.br.
authors.forename: Éder C
authors.initials: ÉC
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Plant Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marthiellen R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: de L Felix
authors.affiliation: Plant Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luz K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Polo
authors.affiliation: Scientific Initiation-PIBIC-CNPq, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kreusch
authors.affiliation: Scientific Initiation-PIBIC-CNPq, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Debora T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.affiliation: Plant Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Giulia B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Plant Cell Biology Laboratory, Department of Cell Biology, Embryology and Genetics, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simioni
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioscience, Department of Botany, University of São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fungyi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.affiliation: Plant Morphogenesis and Biochemistry Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramlov
authors.affiliation: Plant Morphogenesis and Biochemistry Laboratory, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maraschin
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Federal University of Santa Catarina 88049-900, CP 476, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Zenilda L
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Bouzon
mesh_terms: D019069:Cell Respiration / Q000187:drug effects; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000187:drug effects; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Cadmium; Chloroplasts; Copper; Gelidium floridanum; Lead; Ultrastructure