The toxicity of crude oil for the marine alga Skeletonema costatum (Greville) Cleve in relation to nutrient limitation

The toxicity of crude oil in relation to nutrient limitation was studied in Skeletonema costatum cultures. The addition of 100 mg/l of crude oil, although slightly toxic for the algae grown in complete media, was eventually lethal for the algae growing in phosphorus and nitrogen limited media, indicating the importance of those two nutrients for the algal resistance to oil pollution problems. Less severe effects of crude oil were observed in the silicon limited media, suggesting that the adsorptive properties of silica play an important role in the uptake and intracellular distribution of hydrocarbons. Chl a and carbon uptake were found to be more sensitive parameters for assessing hydrocarbon toxicity than cell counting.