Ambient ultraviolet radiation causes mortality in salamander eggs
Blaustein AR, Edmond B, Kiesecker JM, Beatty JJ, Hokit DG. 1995. Ambient ultraviolet radiation causes mortality in salamander eggs. Ecological Applications. 5(3):740-743
Previous research has shown that amphibian species have differential sen- sitivity to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation. In some anuran species, ambient levels of UV- B cause mortality in embryonic stages and hatching success is significantly reduced. Pro- jected increases in UV-B may affect an increasing number of species. The adverse effects of UV-B may eventually be manifested at the population level and may ultimately contribute to population declines. Using field experiments, we investigated the effects of ambient UV- B on salamander (Ambystoma gracile) embryos developing at natural oviposition sites. We show that the hatching success of eggs of A. gracile shielded from UV-B is significantly higher than those not shielded from UV-B.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Blaustein, Andrew; Edmond, Brian; Kiesecker, Joseph; Beatty, Joseph; Hokit, D.
- Units
- DEVA
- Keywords
- absence, Abundance, Ambystomatidae (Mole Salamanders), amphibian population declines, Amphibians, Biodiversity, Distribution, Pacific Northwest, Presence, Salamanders