Toxic effects by cadmium on growth and phosphate uptake by P-deficient algae

The project is a continuation of research performed by Niels Nyholm under a sabbatical leave in 1982 to the states. Inhibition of the ecologically relevant parameter phosphate uptake may perhaps be more sensitive than inhibition of growth, and as there is no direct relation between the growth of algae and their uptake of nutrients, phosphate uptake must be studied in short term spiking experiments Perturbations of natural communities as a result of toxic exposure could potentially take place with no detection possible in normal growth tests, if nutrient uptake was inhibited at a more sensitive level than growth. So far the different endpoints seem equally sensitive, if selected mathematically consistent and distinguishing organism response from system (reactor) response.