Impact of UV-B exposure on amphibian embryos: linking species physiology and oviposition behaviour.
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.
Palen
Wendy J
WJ
Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. wpalen@u.washington.edu
Williamson
Craig E
CE
Clauser
Aaron A
AA
Schindler
Daniel E
DE
D000663:Amphibians / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D010058:Oviposition / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013045:Species Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014861:Washington