Ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B) can reduce swimming performance by increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. High concentrations of ROS can damage mitochondria, resulting in reduced ATP production. ROS can also damage muscle proteins, thereby leading to impaired muscle contractile function. We have shown previously that UV-B exposure reduces locomotor performance in mosquitofish (Gambu...

Five different combinations of fluorescent tubes (UV-B/UV-B, UV-B/UV-A, UV-A/ UV-A, UV-B/White, White/White) were used to determine relative effects of UV and visible light on the nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPV) of Helicoverpa zea and Spodoptera exigua. For both viruses, the greatest inactivation occurred with exposure to UV-B radiation. Both virus concentration and radiation exposure time influen...

Liquid cultures of the terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc commune derived from field material were treated with artificial UV-B and UV-A irradiation. We studied the induction of various pigments which are though to provide protection against damaging UV-B irradiation. First, UV-B irradiation induced an increase in carotenoids, especially echinenone and myxoxanthophyll, but did not influence prod...

Future levels in ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation are expected to increase directly due to stratospheric ozone depletion and under water indirectly by, for example, global warming effects on DOC concentrations, altered trophic interactions in the plankton, or reduced eutrophication. While detrimental UV effects have been reported at the cellular level, little to nothing is known about community-wi...

Photomorphogenic responses triggered by low fluence rates of ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B; 280-315 nm) are mediated by the UV-B photoreceptor UV RESISTANCE LOCUS8 (UVR8). Beyond our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of UV-B perception by UVR8, there is still limited information on how the UVR8 pathway functions under natural sunlight. Here, wild-type Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) ...

We examined the influence of solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B; 280-320 nm) on the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (F(v)/F(m)), bulk-soluble phenolic concentrations, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and growth of Avena sativa. Treatments involved placing filters on frames over potted plants that reduced levels of biologically effective UV-B by either 71% (reduced UV...

—Numerous anthropogenic and natural factors affect living organisms in nature. Anthropogenic factors include a wide array of contaminants and processes that alter the habitat on both local and global scales. For example, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and other industrial gases contribute to the depletion of the earth’s protective ozone layer, resulting in increased amounts of cell damaging ultravi...

1 Ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280-320 nm) was surveyed in a mixed deciduous forest in Maryland, USA, using a Robertson-Berger meter. A smaller number of comparable measurements were made in closed-canopy forests in Chile, Panama, and Washington State, USA, and under two canopies recently disturbed by hurricanes, in Virginia, USA, and Mexico. Simultaneous measurements of photosynthetically ac...

Attenuation of UV-B radiation in the water column occurs due to absorption and scatter but in shallow clear freshwater systems enhanced UV-B radiation might be of importance in affecting aquatic organisms. Two laboratory experiments were performed to determine whether two species of charophytes typical for shallow waterbodies, such as Chara polyacantha and Nitella hyalina, are negatively affect...