title: Interactions between water temperature and contaminant toxicity to freshwater fish.
abstract: Warming of freshwaters as a result of climate change is expected to have complex interactions with the toxicity of contaminants to aquatic organisms. The present study evaluated the effects of temperature on the acute toxicity of endosulfan, chlorpyrifos, and phenol to 3 warm water species of fish-silver perch, rainbowfish, and western carp gudgeon-and 1 cold water species, rainbow trout. Endosulfan was more toxic to silver perch at 30 °C and 35 °C than at 15 °C, 20 °C and 25 °C during short exposures of 24 h, but at 96 h, temperature had no effect on toxicity. Toxicity to rainbow trout increased with increasing temperature, whereas warm water species exhibited maximum toxicity at around 30 °C, decreasing again toward 35 °C. Chlorpyrifos became more toxic to all species with increasing temperature. Phenol toxicity to all species decreased at low to intermediate temperatures; but as temperatures increased further toward the upper thermal limit, phenol became more toxic. Increasing toxicity in the upper thermal range of cold water species may contribute to upstream range contraction in rivers with high toxicant loads. In contrast, warm water species may not exhibit a range shift within rivers as a result of interactions between temperature and toxicity. Catchment management to offset global warming at local scales may present opportunities to mitigate increased toxicity of contaminants to fish.
authors.affiliation: Office of Environment & Heritage, Department of Planning and Environment, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia.|School of the Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, Australia.|Centre for Ecotoxicology, Office of Environment & Heritage, and University of Technology Sydney, Australia.|Narrandera Fisheries Centre, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Ronald W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Patra
authors.affiliation: Office of Environment & Heritage, Department of Planning and Environment, Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia.|Centre for Ecotoxicology, Office of Environment & Heritage, and University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.affiliation: School of the Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Broadway, New South Wales, Australia.|Centre for Ecotoxicology, Office of Environment & Heritage, and University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Narrandera Fisheries Centre, Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia.|Opus International Consultants (Australia), Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Gehrke
authors.forename: Ramasamy M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sunderam
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002347:Carps / Q000502:physiology; D004390:Chlorpyrifos / Q000633:toxicity; D057231:Climate Change; D004726:Endosulfan / Q000633:toxicity; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss / Q000502:physiology; D010471:Perches / Q000502:physiology; D010636:Phenols / Q000633:toxicity; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D023382:Toxicity Tests, Acute; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D004390:Chlorpyrifos; D004726:Endosulfan
keywords: Australian fish; Climate change; Pesticides and phenol; Temperature; Toxicity