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Combined Stresses of Boron and Salinity on Growth of Two Freshwater Algal Species

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Abstract

To investigate the combined effects of excess boron (B) and high salinity on the growth of freshwater algal species, Chlorella vulgaris and Microcystis aeruginosa were cultured in the medium with different B and salinities. The results show that high levels of B and salinity inhibited the growth of the two algal species. For C. vulgaris, low levels of B can alleviate the growth inhibition induced by salinity, and low levels of salinity can also relieve the growth inhibition induced by B. In contrast, high levels of salinity have little effect on B toxicity, while high levels of B aggravate salinity stress. For M. aeruginosa, salinity aggravates B toxicity, regardless of salinity levels. B supply worsens salinity stress on M. aeruginosa, regardless of supply doses. These results suggest that it may be possible to control algal bloom by regulating B or salinities.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of China (T2017002) and the Fundamental Research Funds of the Central Universities. We thank Guoguang Li at Nankai University for laboratory assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Pollution Processes and Environmental Criteria (Ministry of Education), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Rui Zhang, Pengyue Dong, Hongwen Sun & Chunguang Liu

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  1. Rui Zhang
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  2. Pengyue Dong
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  3. Hongwen Sun
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  4. Chunguang Liu
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Correspondence to Chunguang Liu.

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Zhang, R., Dong, P., Sun, H. et al. Combined Stresses of Boron and Salinity on Growth of Two Freshwater Algal Species. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 107, 147–153 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03230-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-021-03230-7

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