Impact of emerging pollutants mixtures on marine and brackish phytoplankton: diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals and ionic liquids (ILs) are emerging as significant micropollutants with environmental presence and potential ecological impacts. The possible simultaneous occurrence of these two groups of pollutants in aquatic environments raises complex challenges due to their diverse chemical properties and potential for interactive effects. Given the documented widespread presence of pharmaceuticals and the emerging concerns about ILs, the study aims to evaluate the adverse effects of binary mixtures of imidazolium ionic liquid IM1-8C(CN)₃ and two representatives of pharmaceuticals: antibiotic oxytetracycline (OXTC) and metabolite carbamazepine 10,11 epoxide (CBZ-E) on the brackish cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum during chronic exposure experiments. A comprehensive approach was employed, incorporating various endpoints including oxidative stress, chlorophyll a fluorescence, detailed photoprotective and photosynthetic pigment profiles of target microorganisms to assess modes of action and identify the mixture effects of the selected substances. The observed alterations in pigment production affecting carotenoids synthesis in both selected species may be attributed to the differential impacts of these substances on the photosynthetic pathways and metabolic processes in the cyanobacterial and diatom cells. Changes in chlorophyll a fluorescence-specific parameters suggest impairment of the photosynthetic activity, particularly affecting the efficiency of photosystem II. The application of Concentration Addition (CA) and Independent Action (IA) mathematical models, complemented by the evaluation of Model Deviation Ratios (MDR), revealed predominantly antagonistic interactions within the studied mixtures. The findings of this study provide important insights into the effects of mixtures of organic micropollutants and their potential impact on environment including brackish and marine waters.