The present study aimed to determine the changes in the biosorption, bioaccumulation, chlorophyll-a (chl-a), phycobiliproteins, and exudation in the red seaweed Sarcodia suiae exposed to lead and zinc. The seaweed was exposed to ambient lead and zinc environments for 5 days before being transferred to fresh seawater, and the changes in biodesorption, biodecumulation, chl-a, and phycobiliprotein levels in S. suiae were investigated. Lead and zinc biosorption and bioaccumulation in the seaweed increased with the increase in the lead and zinc concentrations and exposure times. Meanwhile, the biosorption and bioaccumulation of zinc in the seaweed following exposure to zinc were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the biosorption and bioaccumulation of lead in the seaweed following exposure to lead with the same concentration at each exposure time. The chl-a, phycoerythrin (PE), phycocyanin (PC), and allophycocyanin (APC) contents in the seaweed significantly decreased with the increase in the lead and zinc concentrations and exposure times. The chl-a, PE, PC, and APC contents in S. suiae, which was exposed to 5 Pb2+ mg/L for 5 days, were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in the seaweed exposed to zinc at the same concentration and for the same exposure times. In the lead and zinc exudation tests, the highest biodesorption and biodecumulation were observed on the 1st day of exudation after the seaweed was transferred to fresh seawater. The residual percentages of the lead and zinc in the seaweed cells were 15.86% and 73.08% after 5 days of exudation, respectively. The biodesorption rate and biodecumulation rate of the seaweed exposed to lead were higher than those of the seaweed exposed to zinc. However, the effect of lead on chl-a and phycobiliproteins was greater than that of zinc. This might be the result of lead not being a necessary metal for these algae, whereas zinc is.
Keywords: Sarcodia suiae; chlorophyll-a; exudation; phycobiliprotein; uptake.