Transient effect of bisphenol A (BPA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on the cosmopolitan marine diatom Chaetoceros decipiens-lorenzianus

Incubation under controlled laboratory conditions were performed to assess the toxic effects of two plastic derived chemicals, bisphenol A (BPA) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), on the growth, photosynthetic efficiency and photosynthetic activity of the cosmopolitan diatom Chaetoceros decipiens-lorenzianus. Non-axenic diatom cells were exposed to concentrations of BPA and DEHP (separately and in mixture), mimicking concentrations observed in contaminated marine ecosystems, for seven days. Upon short-term exposure (i.e., during the first 48 h), BPA and DEHP induced a slight but significant stimulation of biomass and photosynthetic activity relative to the control, whereas, no significant impact was observed on the photosynthetic efficiency. Nevertheless, this pattern was transient. The stimulation was followed by a return to control conditions for all treatments at the end of incubation. These results showed that the cosmopolitan diatom Chaetoceros was not impacted by representative in situ concentrations of plastic derivatives, thus confirming its ability to thrive in coastal anthropogenic environments.