Optical characteristics of natural waters protect amphibians from UV-B in the U.S. Pacific Northwest
Ecology
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Abstract
Increased exposure to ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation has been proposed as a major environmental stressor leading to global amphibian declines. Prior experimental evidence from the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW) indicating the acute embryonic sensitivity of at least four amphibian species to UV-B has been central to the literature about amphibian decline. However, these results have not been expanded to address population-scale effects and natural landscape variation in UV-B transparency of water at amphibian breeding sites: both necessary links to assess the importance of UV-B for amphibian declines. We quantified the UV-B transparency of 136 potential amphibian breeding sites to establish the pattern of UV-B exposure across two montane regions in the PNW. Our data suggest that 85% of sites are naturally protected by dissolved organic matter in pond water, and that only a fraction of breeding sites are expected to experience UV-B intensities exceeding levels associated with elevated egg mortality. Thus, the spectral characteristics of natural waters likely mediate the physiological effects of UV-B on amphibian eggs in all but the clearest waters. These data imply that UV-B is unlikely to cause broad amphibian declines across the landscape of the American Northwest.
Suggested Citation
Palen, W.J., Schindler, D.E., Adams, M.J., Pearl, C., Bury, R.B., Diamond, S.A., 2002, Optical characteristics of natural waters protect amphibians from UV-B in the U.S. Pacific Northwest: Ecology, v. 83, no. 11, p. 2951-2957, https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2951:OCONWP]2.0.CO;2.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Optical characteristics of natural waters protect amphibians from UV-B in the U.S. Pacific Northwest |
| Series title | Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2951:OCONWP]2.0.CO;2 |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Year Published | 2002 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center |
| Description | 7 p. |
| First page | 2951 |
| Last page | 2957 |
| Country | United States |
| State | California, Oregon, Washington |