Temperature elevation intensifies the toxicity of metals to terrestrial invertebrates: results of a meta-analysis

The present study carried out the first systematic review with meta-analysis on the effects of metals and temperature rise individually and their associations with terrestrial invertebrates. Initially, a systematic review of peer-reviewed articles was performed. Meta-analysis demonstrated that metals negatively affected the fitness of annelids, arthropods, and nematodes and positively affected physiological regulation in annelids. In line with our hypothesis, the analysis revealed that the combination of temperature and metals demonstrated more negative effects on invertebrate fitness than the isolated effects of the variables. Cadmium, mercury, and lead in combination with warming caused negative effects on arthropods, while copper and zinc associated with temperature negatively affected annelids. This meta-analytical review emphasizes the need for an integrated and realistic experimental approach in future studies of pollutant effects for terrestrial invertebrates in the global warming scenario.