Effects of Macondo Oil on Phytoplankton from Grand Isle, Louisiana

Bioassays were performed on phytoplankton communities from the coastal waters at Grand Isle, Louisiana from February through August 2013 to determine the impact of the water-accommodated fraction of unweathered Macondo well oil on the growth rates and taxonomic composition of the phytoplankton. Pigment analysis indicated that diatoms dominated the natural phytoplankton communities, and with one exception, diatoms were the only class of phytoplankton that grew in control cultures or in artificial seawater amended with the water-accommodated fractions of Macondo well oil at a series of concentrations from 0.1 to 19.2 mg L–1. The growth rates of diatoms were enhanced by roughly 10% at oil concentrations ≤ 0.6 mg L–1 but were reduced by up to 30% at concentrations ≥ 1.0 mg L–1. Ratios of fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a were positively correlated with oil concentrations, an indication that there was some adjustment of the characteristics of the light-harvesting antennae of the diatoms in response to the stress of the oil.