Microalgae are primary producers of most marine ecosystems, which are under the threat of emergent pollutants such as microplastics (MPs) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA). Although motility is critical for the survival and production of microalgae, the impacts of emergent pollutants on this important behavioural characteristic remain unknown. Therefore, the toxic effects of MPs and TBBPA, alone and in combination, on the motility of two microalgae, Platymonas subcordiformis and Dicrateria zhanjiangensis, were investigated in this study. In addition, the impacts of the pollutants on energy supply and oxidative stress status were also assessed to reveal potential underlying mechanisms. Our results demonstrated that the motility (both velocity and mode of swimming) of these microalgae was significantly suppressed by the pollutant tested. Further analysis indicated that microalgae exposed to pollutants had a significantly lower intracellular content of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which may be due to the disruption of photosynthesis and glycolysis. In addition, our data showed that the pollutants tested imposed significant oxidative stress on the microalgae, which may be another reason for the decline in motility observed. Moreover, the growth of microalgae was significantly inhibited by the pollutants tested, and coexposure to TBBPA and MPs was shown to be more toxic than single exposure. Data obtained indicate waterborne MPs and TBBPA may pose significant threat to marine microalgae and subsequently the health of the marine ecosystem.

微藻是大多数海洋生态系统的主要生产者，它们受到微塑料 (MPs) 和四溴双酚 A (TBBPA) 等新兴污染物的威胁。尽管运动性对于微藻的生存和生产至关重要，但新兴污染物对这一重要行为特征的影响仍然未知。因此，MPs 和 TBBPA 单独和联合使用对两种微藻，Platymonas subcordiformis和Dicrateria zhanjiangensis的运动性的毒性作用，在本研究中进行了调查。此外，还评估了污染物对能量供应和氧化应激状态的影响，以揭示潜在的潜在机制。我们的结果表明，这些微藻的运动性（速度和游泳方式）被测试的污染物显着抑制。进一步分析表明，暴露于污染物的微藻细胞内三磷酸腺苷 (ATP) 含量显着降低，这可能是由于光合作用和糖酵解的中断。此外，我们的数据显示，测试的污染物对微藻施加了显着的氧化应激，这可能是观察到的运动性下降的另一个原因。此外，所测试的污染物显着抑制了微藻的生长，并且同时暴露于 TBBPA 和 MPs 被证明比单次暴露更具毒性。获得的数据表明，水性 MPs 和 TBBPA 可能对海洋微藻并随后对海洋生态系统的健康构成重大威胁。