The growth response of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris to combined divalent cation exposure.

Using the growth response of the green alga Chlorella vulgaris as a model system, the effects of combinations of the environmentally active cations Cd, Co, and Cu were evaluated. The 96-h static EC50 for these cations to C. vulgaris were, respectively, 0.89 microM, 9.0 microM, and 2.8 microM, yielding a toxicity series such that Cd > Cu > Co. The cation combinations of Cd + Cu, and Cu + Co acted synergistically, while Cd + Co, and the tri-metallic combination Cd + Cu + Co resulted in antagonistic interactions. Examination of these toxic combinations at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h indicate that the cellular response is not a uniform one. Failure of energy dispersive X-ray spectrophotometric analysis to demonstrate any intracellular incorporation of these cations (except for a weak cytoplasmic Cu peak at the 8.0 KEV position) suggests that the toxic actions of these cations at EC50 concentrations are exerted at the level of the plasma membrane.