Effect of temperature on heavy metal toxicity to juvenile crayfish, Orconectes immunis (Hagen)

• Published in: Environmental toxicology 2006-10, Vol.21 (5), p.513-520
• Main Authors: Khan, M. A. Q., Ahmed, S. A., Catalin, Bogdon, Khodadoust, A., Ajayi, Oluwaleke, Vaughn, Mark
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Astacoidea - drug effects; Astacoidea - growth & development; Biological and medical sciences; Body Size - drug effects; crayfish; Crustacea; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; heavy metals; Invertebrates; Metals, Heavy - toxicity; Oxygen Consumption - drug effects; respiration; Respiration - drug effects; Temperature; Time Factors; toxicity
• ISSN: 1520-4081; 1522-7278
• DOI: 10.1002/tox.20213

The acute toxicity of four selected heavy metals to juvenile crayfish Orconectes immunis (Hagen) (1–2 g wet body wt. each) at room temperature increased in the following order: cadmium (×3) < copper (×10) < zinc (×2) < lead. The toxicity of these metals to crayfish acclimated at 17, 20, 23/24, and 27°C increased with temperature (by 7–20% between 20 and 24°C and 14–26% between 20 and 27°C) as judged by the lowering of LT50 (time to kill 50% of test animals at a fixed concentration) values. A 4°C rise in temperature (from 20 to 24°C), which increased the toxicity of copper by about 7%, increased the rate of oxygen consumption by about 34%. Heavy metals inhibited the rate of oxygen consumption at all temperatures. In 20°C‐acclimated crayfish, copper caused about 17% inhibition of oxygen consumption compared to about 7–12% by other metals including the most toxic cadmium. A 3–4°C rise in temperature tripled the inhibitory effect of copper (20%), cadmium and zinc (26 and 18%, respectively), but not of lead, on oxygen consumption. A 7°C‐rise in temperature (from 20 to 27°C) increased the inhibitory effect of heavy metals, including lead, on oxygen consumption by up to 54% in the case of copper. The data indicate that rising global temperatures (currently 0.60°C) associated with climate change can have the potential to increase the sensitivity of aquatic animals to heavy metals in their environment. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 21: 513–520, 2006.