The comparative effects of oil dispersants and oil/dispersant conjugates on germination of the marine macroalga Phyllospora comosa (Fucales: Phaeophyta)

Germination inhibition of the marine macrophyte Phyllospora comosa was utilized as a sub-lethal end-point to assess and compare the effects of four oil dispersants and dispersed diesel fuel and crude oil combinations. Inhibition of germination by the water-soluble fraction of diesel fuel increased following the addition of each of the dispersants; the nominal 48-h EC50 concentration of diesel fuel declined from 6800 to approximately 400 μl l−1 nominal for each dispersed combination. This contrasted with crude oil, where the addition of two dispersants resulted in an enhanced germination rate and an increase in nominal EC50 concentrations from 130 μl l−1 for the undispersed crude to 4000 and 2500 μl l−1. The results indicate that, while germination inhibition of P. comosa may be enhanced by the chemical dispersal of oil, the response varies with type of both oil and oil dispersant.