A Projection into the Quality of Phytoplankton Consumed by Primary and Secondary Consumers in Areas Exposed to Water Soluble Fractions (Wsf) of Petroleum Products using Protein and Carbohydrate Biomolecules.

Abstract

Background: Plants and algae (primary producers) manufacture their own food which other animals (primary and secondary consumers) now depend on to survive. However, the environment where these primary producers manufacture their food is important in the quality of nutrients supplied along the food chain.
Objective: To ascertain if the phytoplankton in polluted aquatic environments produce quality nutrients for the primary and secondary consumers.
Methods: Pandorinamorum, was used in the study. The ratio of 1:9 of oil to water was used to get the water soluble fraction (WSF) of diesel and kerosene fuel oil respectively. The species was exposed to various concentrations of WSF of diesel and kerosene fuel oils in an experiment that lasted for 14 days. The effects of these WSFs were also tested on the species protein and carbohydrates biomolecules. Absorbance readings were taken using a Jenway Spectrophotometer at 2 days intervals.
Results: Pandorinamorum was inhibited at all concentrations of WSF of diesel oil while WSF of kerosene inhibited growth at higher concentrations of 75% and 100% but stimulated growth at lower concentrations. The biomolecules assessed showed signs of being suppressed by the fluctuations observed
throughout the experiment.
Conclusion: Primary and secondary consumers that feed on phytoplankton algae in areas exposed to WSF of petroleum products may not have the best of nutrients from their primary producers in that environment due to poor synthesis of algal biomolecules.