DDT Reduces Photosynthesis by Marine Phytoplankton

Concentrations of DDT [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane] as low as a few parts per billion in water reduced photosynthesis in laboratory cultures of four species of coastal and oceanic phytoplankton representing four major classes of algae, and in a natural phytoplankton community from Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Toxicity to diatoms increased as cell concentration decreased. This inhibition may be of ecological importance.