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Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Quantification of Heavy Metals and Other Inorganic Contaminants on the Productivity of Microalgae
Published on: July 10, 2015
Inorganic nutrients have a significant, but minimal, impact on a coastal microbial community's response to fresh
Alice C Ortmann1, Susan E Cobanli1, Gary Wohlgeschaffen1
1Center for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, 1 Challenger Drive, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, Canada.
Abstract:
Microbes capable of degrading hydrocarbons in oil are present in low abundances in coastal waters, but quickly respond to oil following a spill. When estimating potential biodegradation rates in the laboratory, high concentrations of inorganic nutrients are often added to prevent nutrient limitation. In this study, we tested the short term response of coastal microbes to fresh diluted bitumen under varying nutrient conditions in a cold water regime. Total hydrocarbon concentrations changed minimally over five days; however, oil composition changed over time and the abundance of microbes increased in all treatments. Addition of phosphate, with or without nitrogen, resulted in rapid changes in community composition, but after three days treatments no longer differed. Nutrients were never depleted in any treatment suggesting that, even at low inorganic nutrient concentrations, microbial communities can quickly respond to hydrocarbons following a spill.
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