Abstract |
As early as 1925, scientists were aware of damaging effects on aquatic organisms from the ultraviolet component of sunlight. It was shown at these early dates that there exists a differential sensitivity among species to UV radiation, and that this differential sensitivity might relate to the depths at which the species were normally found. Several more recent studies on the effects of UV-B radiation (290-320nm) have examined a variety of marine organisms. Regardless of the species investigated, each study has potential importance through the role of the particular organism in its environmental or food-web context. Some studies, in addition, have considered economically important zooplankton species, such as larval stages of certain shrimp, crab, and fish. |