Toxicity of selenite in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: Comparison between effects at the population and sub-cellular level

This study confirms that the direct toxicity of selenite on the phytoplankton biomass is not likely to take place at concentrations found in the environment. At higher concentrations, the link between effects at the sub-cellular and population levels, the over-accumulation of starch, and the formation of dense granules containing selenium are reported for the first time in the literature for a phytoplankton species after exposure to selenite.