AMBIENT UV-B RADIATION CAUSES DEFORMITIES IN AMPHIBIAN EMBRYOS

There has been a great deal of recent attention on the suspected incre ase in amphibian deformities. However, most reports of amphibian defor mities have been anecdotal, and no experiments in the field under natu ral conditions have been performed to investigate this phenomenon. Und er laboratory conditions, a variety of agents can induce deformities i n 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 s hields 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 m ay contribute directly to embryo mortality, and they may affect an ind ividual's subsequent survival after hatching.