Copper (Cu) and Cadmium (Cd) toxicity on growth, chlorophyll-a and carotenoid content of phytoplankton Nitzschia sp

This research aimed to study the toxicity of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) on growth, chlorophyll-a and carotenoid content of phytoplankton Nitzschia sp. and to study the IC50-96 h value on growth and chlorophyll-a content, LOEC, and NOEC. This research was done in Research Center of Oceanography, Indonesian Institute of Sciences through four steps: phytoplankton cultivation, definitive test, cell density counting, and chlorophyll-a and carotenoid test. Result showed that increasing heavy metals concentration lead to the decreasing of cell density and intracellular pigment content of Nitzschia sp. Based on the research, the IC50-96 h value of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) on growth was 0,268 mgCu/L and 0,159 mgCd/L. The IC50-96 h value of copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) on chlorophyll-a content was 0,274 mgCu/L and 0,150 mgCd/L. LOEC to Nitzschia sp. was 0,18 mgCu/L and 0,18 mgCd/L, while NOEC to Nitzschia sp. was 0,1 mgCu/L and <0,18 mgCd/L. Copper and cadmium toxicity significantly affected the carotenoid content of toxicant concentration of 0,1 mgCu/L and 0,18 mgCd/L. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.