Ambient UV-B Radiation Causes Deformities in Amphibian Embryos

There has been a great deal of recent attention on the suspected increase in amphibian deformities. However, most reports of amphibian deformities have been anecdotal, and no experiments in the field under natural conditions have been performed to investigate this phenomenon. Under laboratory condit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1997-12, Vol.94 (25), p.13735-13737
Main Authors: Blaustein, Andrew R., Kiesecker, Joseph M., Chivers, Douglas P., Anthony, Robert G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetates
Ambystoma - abnormalities
Ambystoma - embryology
Ambystoma - metabolism
Amphibia
Amphibians
Animals
Biological Sciences
Caudata
Deoxyribodipyrimidine Photo-Lyase - metabolism
Ecology
Ecosystem
Eggs
Embryos
Female
Fresh Water
Hatching
Mortality
Mutation
Optical filters
Oregon
Ovum - enzymology
Ovum - growth & development
Ovum - radiation effects
Ozone depletion
Ponds
Reptiles & amphibians
Shallow water
Ultraviolet radiation
Ultraviolet Rays - adverse effects
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Summary:There has been a great deal of recent attention on the suspected increase in amphibian deformities. However, most reports of amphibian deformities have been anecdotal, and no experiments in the field under natural conditions have been performed to investigate this phenomenon. Under laboratory conditions, a variety of agents can induce deformities in amphibians. We investigated one of these agents, UV-B radiation, in field experiments, as a cause for amphibian deformities. We monitored hatching success and development in long-toed salamanders under UV-B shields and in regimes that allowed UV-B radiation. Embryos under UV-B shields had a significantly higher hatching rate and fewer deformities, and developed more quickly than those exposed to UV-B. Deformities may contribute directly to embryo mortality, and they may affect an individual's subsequent survival after hatching.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.94.25.13735