Sample preparation and EDXRF analysis of element content in marine algal communities — a tentative approach

Abstract

Abstract The relative distribution and retention of elements in algal communities can potentially be used as an ecologically relevant effect parameter in ecotoxicological studies. Energy‐dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (EDXRF) was used for multi‐element analysis of samples of marine algae and plankton. The algal samples were microbial periphyton communities, attached to glass substrata that were submerged in marine waters at the Swedish west coast. The phytoplankton samples from the same area were taken in a polyethylene bottle and collected on polycarbonate filters. The EDXRF spectrometer used is based on three‐axial geometry. This geometry together with optimized collimation of the x‐ray beams results in a low background well suited for the analysis of the small biological samples in this study. The aim of this study was to investigate sample preparation procedures suitable for EDXRF analysis of algal communities. A rapid wash in distilled water, to remove the interfering interstitial sea water, and subsequent transfer of the community to an x‐ray foil is the tentatively proposed sample preparation procedure.