Impact of two different humic substances on selected coccal green algae and cyanobacteria—changes in growth and photosynthetic performance

BACKGROUND, AIM AND SCOPE: There is growing evidence to show that dissolved humic substances, HSs, can directly interact with freshwater organisms, such as phototrophic organisms, cladocerans, amphipods and fish. The responses are—at least in part—transcriptionally controlled. These interactions can lead to stress symptoms in the exposed organisms. In phototrophs, stress symptoms include a reduction in photosynthetic oxygen release and antioxidative stress. Besides the direct effects, HSs also cause indirect effects that provoke different physiological adaptations in the phototrophs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The HS-influenced photosynthetic performance and stress response of two different green algae, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata (Koršikov) Hindák and Monoraphidium braunii (Nägeli in Kützing) Komárková-Legnerová, and two cyanobacterial species, Synechocystis sp. (PCC 6803, Institut Pasteur) and Microcystis aeruginosa (PCC 7806, Institut Pasteur), were tested. Two humic preparations were applied, the synthetic HS1500 and HuminFeed®, HF, which had previously been proven effective in bioassays with invertebrates and a water mould. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: When the algae were grown near light saturation, most of the tested species were positively affected by HSs in growth rate or chlorophyll content. Cell sizes decreased with increasing HS concentrations for all eukaryotic phototrophs, except for the cyanobacteria. After 4 to 5 days of cultivation at the highest HS exposure, there was a decrease in total dry weight due to reduced cell sizes in contrast to an increase in cell numbers. With the exception of Synechocystis, the dry weight per cell ratio decreased with increasing HS concentration. The efficiency of utilizing absorbed light quanta increased with increasing HS concentrations; the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSIImax) was higher in all of the tested species, with the exception of M. aeruginosa, after exposure to HS. CONCLUSION: The applied humic preparations did not interact directly with PSII, but changed the physiological state of the algae, especially the photosynthetic performance. Neither the green algae nor the cyanobacteria were inhibited in growth or negatively affected in their photosynthetic performance. The exposure to lower concentrations of HS stimulated better growth of the phototrophs. The tested humic preparations obviously did not have the potency to act as xenobiotic stressors; furthermore, there was no sign of herbicide potency.