Investigation of dissolved organic matter’s influence on the toxicity of cadmium to the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa by biochemical and molecular assays

Rapid economic development has increased the accumulation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and heavy metals in aquatic environments. In addition, Microcystis aeruginosa can cause the outbreak of cyanobacteria bloom and can produce microcystin, which poses a threat to human water safety. Therefore, this study analyzed the biochemical and molecular assays of DOM (0, 1, 3, 5, 8, 10 mg C L −1 ) extracted from four different sources on the toxicity of cadmium (Cd) to M. aeruginosa . The results showed that the addition of different concentrations of DOM from sediment, biochar, and humic acid alleviated the toxicity of Cd to M. aeruginosa . But the addition of rice hulls DOM at high concentrations (8 and 10 mg L −1 ) significantly reduced the normal growth and metabolic activities of M. aeruginosa . DOM from four different sources promoted the expression level of microcystin-related gene mcyA and the production of microcystin-leucine-arginine (MC-LR), and mcyA was positively correlated with MC-LR. DOM from biochar, sediment, and humic acid were able to bind Cd through complexation. The results will help to understand the toxic effects of heavy metals on toxic-producing cyanobacteria in the presence of DOM, and provide certain reference for the evaluation of water environmental health.