Abstract
As lichens are sensitive monitors of environmental pollution and are known to be affected by marine pollutants, a study was made of the effect of Kuwait crude oil and a solvent emulsifier (BP 1002) on the metabolism of the marine lichen Lichina pygmaea (Lightf.) C. Ag. Photosynthesis in the presence of NaH14CO3 enabled an investigation to be made of the effect of these pollutants on the total 14C-fixation and the pattern of 14C-fixation. Oil was shown to be substantially less inhibitory than the emulsifier to the total 14C fixed. The emulsifier, but not the oil, induced loss of labelled material from the lichen. No change was observed in the influence of oil or undiluted emulsifier after ageing. Combination of the emulsifier with either oil or sea water resulted in a decreased inhibitory effect, which was further reduced on ageing the mixture. It was concluded that the inhibitory component of the emulsifier was the surfactant and not the solvent.
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Communicated by J. H. S. Blaxter, Oban
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Brown, D.H. The effect of Kuwait crude oil and a solvent emulsifier on the metabolism of the marine lichen Lichina pygmaea . Marine Biology 12, 309–315 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00366331
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00366331