Cadmium Accumulation by the Marine Red Alga Porphyra umbilicalis

Abstract
The characteristics of cadmium accumulation by the marine red alga Porphyra umbilicalis L. in culture are reported. The time course of uptake under various light conditions shows that cadmium is concentrated as the result of an on‐going anabolic process and not as a consequence of a pH gradient as provided by photo‐synthesis. The effect of cycloheximide is in agreement with de novo protein‐synthesis being a prerequisite For cadmium accumulation. Autoradiography suggests a specific intracellular location for bound cadmium—apparently the nucleus.