Impact of UV-B exposure on amphibian embryos: linking species physiology and oviposition behaviour
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| Authors: | Palen, WJ; Williamson, CE; Clauser, AA; Schindler, DE |
| Year: | 2005 |
| Journal: | Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 272: 1227-1234 Article Link (DOI) |
| Title: | Impact of UV-B exposure on amphibian embryos: linking species physiology and oviposition behaviour |
| Abstract: | Increasing ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) has recently captured the attention of ecologists as a key environmental stressor. Certain species may be particularly vulnerable as a result of either high natural exposure to UV-B or limited physiological capacity to withstand it. UV-B sensitivity has been examined at the cellular and individual level for a wide variety of taxa, but estimates of exposure to UV-B in natural systems are lacking and predictions of large-scale impacts are therefore limited. Here, we combine data on the physiological sensitivity to UV-B and patterns of field exposure across sites for embryos of several well-studied US Pacific Northwest amphibian species. We find substantial differences among species' physiological abilities to withstand UV-B and in the level of UV-B exposure of embryos in the field. More specifically, we find that species with the highest physiological sensitivity to UV-B are those with the lowest field exposures as a function of the location of embryos and the UV-B attenuation properties of water at each site. These results also suggest that conclusions made about species' vulnerability to UV-B in the absence of information on field exposures may often be misleading. |
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