Combined effects of sulphate, selenium (selenate or selenite) and duration of experiment on a coenocytic alga Bryopsis sp

The effect of selenium was studied on the multinuclear single-celled alga Bryopsis sp. The factors taken into consideration were the concentration of sulphate in the medium (normal concentration in seawater or 10 times lower), the oxidation state of selenium (selenite, Se(IV) or selenate, Se(VI)) and the duration of incubation. The observed responses were the protein content and the fatty acid content of the alga as the experiment proceeded. We observed combined effects of the three studied factors on these biochemical components in most treatments. Selenite exerts a beneficial effect on protein content at low sulphate concentration as a function of time and on the C 16 PUFA quantity in the early days of contamination at low sulphate concentration.