Determination of trace elements in marine organisms 3. distribution of trace elements in marine algae
Ishii, T.; Suzuki, Y.; Matsuba, M.; Koyanagi, T.
Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi 46(2): 185-190
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-5392
Accession: 005128809
The distribution of major and trace elements in marin algae was investigated by means of atomic absorption spectrophotometry and X-ray microanalysis to obtain the basic information to elucidate the mechanism of the metal uptake by marine organisms. The distributions of Ni, Cu and Zn were uniform between the 2 organs, lamina and stipe, and also among parts of lamina and stipe, and also among parts of lamina of Eisenia bicyclis, while those of Mg and Fe were not homogeneous. Fe in lamina was especially concentrated about 8 times higher than that in stipe, and the concentration of Fe in lamina tended to increase with the distance from the growing point which lies at the base of lamina in the case of E. bicyclis. The concentration of Fe in the epithelial layer, which is characterized by an active cell division with abundant chromatophore, showed extremely high level in comparison with the cortical and medullary layers. In the case of the basal lamina of Sargassum sagamianum, Fe in the epithelial layer was especially concentrated about 40 times more than in other layers. More than 90% of Fe in lamina was found in the epithelial layer. Little difference in thickness of the epithelial layer was observed for each organ and each part of E. bicyclis. The proportion of the epithelial layer to the whole varied considerably among organs or parts of lamina. The varying distribution of Fe in the algal bodies may be caused by the high concentration of Fe in the epithelial layer and by the different proportion of it among other layers in the tissues.