Effects of co-exposure of the triazine herbicides atrazine, prometryn and terbutryn on Phaeodactylum tricornutum photosynthesis and nutritional value

Triazine herbicides are widely used in agricultural production, and large amounts of herbicide residue enter the ocean through surface runoff. In this study, the toxicities of the triazine herbicides atrazine, prometryn and terbutryn (separately and mixed) to Phaeodactylum tricornutum were investigated. The EC50 values of atrazine, prometryn and terbutryn were 28.38 μg L-1, 8.86 μg L-1, and 1.38 μg L-1, respectively. The EC50 of an equitoxic mixture of the three herbicides was 0.78 TU, indicating that they had synergistic effects. The equitoxic mixture accumulated in P. tricornutum, which damaged chloroplast and mitochondria structures and significantly decrease the biomass, levels of key cellular components (such as chlorophyll a (chl a), carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content, fatty acid content) and the effective photochemical quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII, ∆Fv/Fm). The mixture also downregulated key genes in the light response (PsbD, PetF), dark response (PGK, PRK), tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (CS, ID, OGD, and MS) and fatty acid synthesis (FABB, SCD, and PTD9). P. tricornutum partially alleviates the effects of the mixture on photosynthesis and fatty acid synthesis by upregulating PetD, PsaB, RbcL and FabI expression. The triazine herbicide mixture reduced the biomass and nutritional value of marine phytoplankton by inhibiting photosynthesis and energy metabolism.