Are amphibians exposed to harmful levels of ultraviolet-B radiation?
Blaustein, Andrew*,1, Han, Barbara1, Lisa, Belden5, Kiesecker, Joseph6, Chivers, Doug3, Marco, Adolfo4, Fasy, Elizabeth1, Kats, Lee2, 1 Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA5 University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA6 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA3 University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada4 Doana Biological Station, Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain2 Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA ABSTRACT- As part of an overall biodiversity crisis, populations of numerous species are in decline. This includes populations of amphibians from a wide variety of habitats and locations around the world. Various factors appear to be contributing to amphibian population declines. These include habitat destruction, pathogens, introduced non-native species, contaminants, and global environmental changes. The diversity of locations where amphibian populations have declined has lead to studies examining the role of atmospheric factors such as increasing ultraviolet