TITLE:
Climate-Related Changes in Salinity and Temperature Modulate Cadmium Bioaccumulation and Toxicity in the Haptophyte Diacronema lutheri
AUTHORS:
Esther U. Kadiene, Baghdad Ouddane, Jiang-Shiou Hwang, Sami Souissi
KEYWORDS:
Cadmium, Coastal Freshening, Warming, Bioaccumulation, Diacronema lutheri
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Marine Science,
Vol.16 No.4,
August
7,
2026
ABSTRACT: Coastal freshening and warming may modify the bioavailability and biological effects of persistent contaminants. This study examined how salinity and temperature affected cadmium (Cd) accumulation and Cd-related growth impairment in the haptophyte Diacronema lutheri. In a 21-day experiment, cultures at 15 or 35 PSU were exposed to 0 or 60 µg·L−1 Cd, and cell-density trajectories were analysed using mixed-design repeated-measures analysis of variance. Cadmium accumulation was also followed for seven days in Cd-exposed cultures at both salinities. Separate 72-h experiments quantified Cd accumulation across salinities of 15, 25 and 35 PSU or temperatures of 18˚C, 25˚C and 35˚C at nominal Cd concentrations of 36, 120, 600 and 1200 µg·L−1. In the growth experiment, salinity and Cd significantly affected cell density (both P