Action of temperature and water hardness on the toxicity of hexavalent chromium inGammarus italicusgoedm. (crustacea, amphipoda)

Abstract
The action of temperature (8 and 18 °C) and water hardness (35, 70, 140, 280 and 560 mg l‐1 as CaCO3) on the toxicity of hexavalent chromium on populations of Gammarus italicus Goedm. (male, female and juveniles) was studied using both renewal and continuous flow conditions. It was observed that low hardness associated with high temperatures produces the highest mortality rate in the species, while high hardness values and low temperatures seemed to provide protection against toxicity.