The importance of experimental time when assessing the effect of temperature on toxicity in poikilotherms

Temperature is an important factor affecting toxicity, determining chemical toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics in poikilothermic organisms. Because metabolic rates are also affected by temperature, interactions between the emergence of toxic effects and time are very likely. The aim of the present study was to investigate how temperature affects the toxicity of copper toward the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans when measured during short, fixed time frames compared with full life cycles. Copper toxicity was tested in 2 experiments at 4 or 6 temperatures in the range of 11 °C to 24 °C, with Cu concentrations spanning from 1 mg Cu/L agar to 40 mg Cu/L agar, respectively. Reproduction and mortality were determined across the entire life cycle, and the time to production of first egg and the population growth rate were calculated. The results showed that the 50% effect concentrations (EC50s) of Cu increased 1.5-fold to 2.5-fold with increasing temperature within the tested range, depending on endpoint. When calculating EC50 on reproduction after 24 h or 96 h, the typical setup for temperature-chemical interaction studies, results ranged from no temperature effect to effects much larger than those for the full life cycle. Studies of temperature effects on toxicity must therefore be carefully designed in relation to the research question being investigated.