Effects of Hydrocarbons on Respiration, Photosynthesis and Growth of the Diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

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Abstract
The marine diatom P. tricornutum was grown in a turbidostat and kept in an exponential growth phase. Crude oil extracts and aromatic hydrocarbons depressed the photosynthesis after 2 h of incubation in a closed system. The depression increased when the incubation period was extended to 24 h. All the tested hydrocarbons stimulated the dark respiration after 24 h of incubation. Low concentrations of aromatic hydrocarbons depressed the growth rate in a closed system. In spite of this the alga grew exponentially at 3 differnt light intensities. The growth was most depressed at the lowest light intensity and least depressed at the highest. A crude oil extract also depressed growth at the lowest light intensity but stimulated growth at the highest intensity.