Ecotoxicological evaluation of marine sediments using free and immobilized phytoplanktonic algae

Marine sediments play an important role in the accumulation-storage and/or release of contaminants in seawaters; sedimets bioassays provide for general information on pollutant bioavailability. This work points out the importance to utilize free and immobilised (Na-alginate) marine algae for the ecotoxicological evaluation of metals (Cd, Zn, Cu) as well as of elutriates and whole sediment samples collected in harbour sites. The bioassay was carried out with the marine microalga Tetraselmis suecica; algal growth inhibition was determined after 24 and 48 hours as percent growth in comparison to controls. After 24 hours a lower toxicity of metals for the immobilised algae than for free algae was observed; this trend decreased in time. Algae exposed to whole sediment ahowed a greater reduction of growth than algae exposed to the relative elutriate. This result emphasizes that the whole sediments seem to be suitable to detect the toxicity of such complex environmental matrix