Assessing the Population-Level Effect of UV-B Induced Mortality in Amphibians
EPA Grant Number: U915824Title: Assessing the Population-Level Effect of UV-B Induced Mortality in Amphibians
Investigators: Vonesh, James R.
Institution: University of Florida
EPA Project Officer: McClure, Karen
Project Period: August 1, 2000 through August 1, 2003
Project Amount: $83,554
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (2000)
Research Category: Academic Fellowships , Fellowship - Ecology , Ecological Indicators/Assessment/Restoration
Description:
Objective:The objective of this research project is to develop a heuristic model to explore the population-level consequences of egg-stage mortality in amphibians when there is larval-stage density-dependence.
Approach:The focus is on four species known to be vulnerable to UV-B: Bufo bufo, Bufo boreas, Rana cascadae, and Ambystoma macrodactylum. A stage-structured demographic model will be developed that explicitly incorporates larval-stage density-dependence to examine the sensitivity of population size to changes in a number of life history parameters, including egg survival.
Expected Results:The effect of embryonic mortality on amphibian populations may depend upon the functional form of larval density dependence, and density dependence can moderate the population-level consequences of mortality early in life history for some species. In addition, while many recent studies have focused on species-specific differences in UV sensitivity, variation among species in their population-level responses to egg-stage mortality could also be explained simply by differences in the density dependence experienced in their life histories.
Supplemental Keywords:ambystoma, amphibian population declines, Bufo, density dependence, Rana, stage structure, population model, UV sensitivity hypothesis. , Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Air, Scientific Discipline, RFA, Ecosystem/Assessment/Indicators, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Biology, exploratory research environmental biology, amphibians, climate change, Immunology, Ecological Indicators, Environmental Microbiology, Ecological Effects - Human Health, Ecological Effects - Environmental Exposure & Risk, mortality, UV-B, population decline, cell function, membrane lipid assays, UV-A light, excision-repair proteins, immune function, photolyase expression, environmental monitoring, molecular genetics, DNA repair, ecological exposure, climate variability, amphibian bioindicator, ultraviolet radiation, amphibian malformations, ecological effects, UV effects, UV light