DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1rn8pk16m
title: Data from: Pre-exposure to chemicals increases springtail vulnerability to high temperatures

description: Global climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat
 waves, posing a significant threat to ectothermic organisms. Concurrently,
 chemical pollution, including heavy metals and pesticides, remains a
 pervasive environmental stressor. This study investigates the effects of
 sublethal copper and fluazinam exposure on the thermal tolerance of the
 soil-dwelling springtail, Folsomia candida. Using a Thermal Death Time
 (TDT) framework, we assessed how pre-exposure to these toxicants at two
 acclimation temperatures (20 °C and 24 °C) influenced survival under heat
 stress. Our findings indicate that toxicant exposure reduced heat
 tolerance at moderately high temperatures (32.5 °C) but had negligible
 effects at extreme temperatures (37 °C). Acclimation at 24 °C mitigated
 the negative effects of both toxicants, suggesting an enhanced capacity
 for cellular homeostasis under warm conditions. Additionally, soil type
 influenced thermal tolerance, highlighting the importance of environmental
 context in multiple stressor interactions. These findings highlight the
 need to integrate realistic thermal exposure scenarios in ecotoxicological
 assessments to improve predictions of organismal vulnerability under
 climate change.
description: # Data from: Pre-exposure to chemicals increases springtail vulnerability
 to high temperatures Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.1rn8pk16m](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.1rn8pk16m) ##
 Description of the data and file structure Dataset
 name: Data_Pre-exposure_to_chemicals_increases_springtail_vulnerability_to_high_temperatures.xlsx **Associated publication:**\ Wehrli, M., Ge, J., Slotsbo, S., & Holmstrup, M. (2025). *Pre‑exposure to chemicals increases springtail vulnerability to high temperatures*. Global Change Biology, 31:e70374. [https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70374](https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70374) **Description:**\ This dataset contains all experimental data underlying the analyses reported in the publication. The study assessed how pre‑exposure to two soil contaminants, fluazinam (a fungicide) and copper, affects the thermal tolerance of the springtail *Folsomia candida*. After a three‑week exposure to contaminated soil at two acclimation temperatures (20  °C and 24  °C), individuals were subjected to thermal death time (TDT) assays across seven exposure temperatures (31.5–37  °C). The dataset enables the calculation and comparison of survival curves, LT50 values, and TDT landscapes for each chemical, concentration, acclimation temperature, and soil type. **Potential reuse:**\ The dataset can support research on thermal tolerance modelling, multiple stressor interactions (chemical × temperature), ectotherm physiology, ecotoxicology, and climate‑change risk assessment. It enables recalculation of survival curves, refitting of TDT landscapes, comparison across species or contaminants, or integration into broader meta‑analyses of thermal susceptibility and toxicant interactions. ### Files and variables #### The dataset is provided as an Excel file containing three sheets: ### **Sheet 1 — RawResults** Individual‑level survival outcomes from thermal death time assays. ### **Updated Variable Descriptions (with Chemical Concentrations Included)** 
 
 | **Acclimation temperature (°C)** | |
 :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Temperature at which springtails were acclimated during the 3‑week soil exposure period (20  °C or 24  °C). | | **Treatment** | | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Identifier for the soil chemical treatment *including concentration level*. The codes correspond to both soil type and chemical concentration: **Fluazinam treatments (LUFA soil):** – *Control*: 0 mg/kg – *20A / 24A*: 0 mg/kg (LUFA Control) – *20B / 24B*: 2 mg/kg fluazinam – *20C / 24C*: 10 mg/kg fluazinam **Copper treatments (Hygum soil):** – *20L / 24L*: Low copper (\~21 mg/kg) – *20M / 24M*: Medium copper (\~437 mg/kg) – *20H / 24H*: High copper (\~690 mg/kg) | | **Actual exposure temperature (°C)** | | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Exact temperature inside centrifuge tubes during the thermal stress exposure (31.5–37  °C). | | **Exposure time (min)** | | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Duration (in minutes) animals were held at the exposure temperature before recovery. | | **Live** | | :------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Number of animals showing coordinated movement after 24 h at 20  °C. | | **Dead** | | :------------------------------------------------------------ | | Number of animals not showing normal movement after recovery. | | **Total exposed** | | :---------------------------------------------------------- | | Total number of animals exposed in each tube (Live + Dead). | | **Survival fraction** | | :--------------------------------------------- | | Proportion surviving (`Live / Total exposed`). | | **Substance** | | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Type of soil contaminant used during pre‑exposure: **Fluazinam** or **Copper**. | ### **Sheet 2 —** ***LT50*** LT50 estimates calculated from dose–response models. | **Temperature** | | :------------------------------------------------------ | | Water‑bath temperature (°C) at which LT50 was modelled. | | **Acclimation temperature** | | :------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil acclimation temperature prior to TDT assays (20  °C or 24  °C). | | **Treatment** | | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Soil treatment group: LUFA control or fluazinam levels (0, 2, 10 mg/kg), Hygum soils (Low/Medium/High copper). | | **LT50** | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Time (minutes) required to reach 50% mortality, predicted from log‑logistic models. | | **Substance** | | :------------------------------------------------------------ | | Toxicant associated with the treatment (Fluazinam or Copper). | ### **Sheet 3 —** ***Templogger*** Continuous logger output validating temperature stability during assays. 
 
 | **Property** | |
 :----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Internal row identifier from the logger export (not an experimental variable). | | **Date** | | :-------------------------------------- | | Excel numeric timestamp of measurement. | | **Temperature** | | :------------------------------------ | | Recorded water‑bath temperature (°C). | | **Humidity** | | :----------------------------------------------- | | Relative humidity inside the logger housing (%). | | **Logger** | | :------------------------------------------------------------ | | Device ID and acclimation group (e.g., “Acc. 20”, “Acc. 24”). | **File format:**\ Microsoft Excel (.xlsx)