posted on 2018-05-03, 17:10authored byCecilia Manuela Silva Pereira, Gert Everaert, Ronny JP Blust, Karel A.C. De Schamphelaere
Ecological risk assessment (ERA) is commonly based on single generation ecotoxicological tests that are usually performed at one standard temperature. We investigate the effects of nickel (Ni) on Daphnia magna reproduction at 15, 20 and 25°C along four generations. Multigenerational Ni effects on D. magna reproduction depended on the magnitude of the effect in the first generation (F0) and showed very different patterns at different temperatures. At low effect level concentrations ( D. magna were necessary to induce the same Ni toxicity than at higher temperature.
Overall, our results indicate that low single-generation chronic effect concentrations of Ni to D. magna (here EC10) are also protective in a long-term, multigenerational context and that temperature should be taken into account in ERA of Ni.