Detrimental Effects of the Selected Heavy Metals to Seaweeds: A Review

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution becomes one of the alarming environmental problems of the ocean ecosystem. The major human activities which have contributed to the elevated level of these metals in the ocean include the release of the industrial effluents, massive dredging and reclamation activities along the coastal areas, and oil spillage. The heavy metals that have reached the ocean are being absorbed by the marine organisms such as seaweeds and they are accumulated in their thalli. Among macro-algae, excessive accumulation of these heavy metals could cause poor growth and survival, inefficient photosynthetic performance, and cellular parts damage. Zinc, Lead, and Cadmium were the most common heavy metals which inhibited the growth of the seaweeds or even caused its death. Exposure of the algae to higher concentrations of Copper, Lead, and Cadmium could lead to inefficient photosynthetic performance. Copper and Cadmium have been known to cause cellular parts damage among the seaweeds.

Keywords: Heavy metals, growth rate, organelles, photosynthesis, seaweeds