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ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTIVE PIGMENTS AND DNA DIMER INDUCTION AS RESPONSES TO ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
Citation:
Hansen, L J., L M. Oliver, J. Machula, AND S. L. Anderson. ULTRAVIOLET PROTECTIVE PIGMENTS AND DNA DIMER INDUCTION AS RESPONSES TO ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION. Presented at ASLO Aquatic Sciences 2001: Making Connections in the 21st Century, Albuquerque, NM, February 12 - 16, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
Coral exposed to ambient levels of UV also showed increased concentrations of carotenoids while DNA dimer production was decreased.
Description:
Life on Earth has evolved adaptations to many environmental stresses over the epochs. One consistent stress has been exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The most basic effect of UV radiation on biological systems is damage to DNA. In response to UV radiation organisms have adapted myriad responses: behavioral, morphological and physiological. One of the main physiological protections is the accumulation and production of UV protective compounds. These include those compounds that act as sunscreens, as well as compounds that may act to protect from the detrimental effects of UV, such as the antioxidant function of carotenoid pigments. Exposures of amphibians and coral species to UV have shown changes in pigmentation. In the anuran Rana muscosa there was a demonstrated increase in the number of iridophores from low to high UV treatments. A survey of five species of coral (three Florida and two Hawaiian) demonstrated that enhanced UV can induce bleaching. Further analysis indicated changes in carotenoid concentrations in exposed corals. Coral exposed to ambient levels of UV also showed increased concentrations of carotenoids while DNA dimer production was decreased.