ABSTRACT
The imminent projections for climate change, and those having already occurred, indicate dramatic impacts on biodiversity, with a prognosis suggesting possible collapse of some ecosystems. The notoriety of this scenario is exacerbated by the disastrous perspective attributed to the expected increase in toxicity promoted by chemical compounds from predominantly anthropogenic sources that pollute ecosystems. This chapter provides an overview of the interrelationships between climate change and the contamination of aquatic ecosystems and the physiological and ecological effects on organisms and biodiversity, by reviewing experiments in microcosms or mesocosms simulating variables such as environmental temperature and hypoxia, as well as acidification and exposure to endocrine disrupters. The interpretation of these interactions can sometimes be dichotomous, and to be relevant requires consideration in an ecological context, where experimental designs are complex. More realistic and ecologically relevant experimental designs in microcosm or mesocosm should help to prioritize the multifactorial factors underpinning the effects of different stressor and their interactions.
