利用沉积色素恢复湖泊古紫外强度研究综述

自从南极臭氧空洞被发现以来,平流层臭氧浓度下降导致到达地表的紫外辐射增强的现象引起了人们的广泛关注,目前这一状况还在不断加剧并将在未来很长一段时间里持续下去。为了更好地理解这种现象在长时间尺度上的意义以及合理预测未来地球表面紫外环境的变化以及生态系统的响应过程,科学家开始尝试恢复历史时期地球表面紫外辐射的变化。Scytonemin是蓝绿藻细胞外鞘上的一种抗UV色素,高UV强度照射能够促使细胞合成更多的这种色素以保护细胞免受紫外辐射的伤害,并且这种色素在湖泊沉积物中能够很好地保存。因此,我们可以通过分析不同时间段蓝绿藻细胞的scytonemin含量来反映历史时期湖泊紫外环境的变化。进一步的研究可以推测造成这种变化的原因以及生态系统对这些过程的响应,为预测未来地表紫外环境的变化及生态系统的响应提供合适的理论和证据。     

Effect of UV-B exposure on eggs and embryos of patagonian anurans and evidence of photoprotection

In Patagonia, enhanced levels of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) are affecting not only the southernmost territories but the northern as well, and there is a growing body of evidence indicating effects on terrestrial and aquatic communities. Anurans occur along a wide geographical gradient in Patagonia and are common in shallow waters, usually breeding during spring when seasonal UV-B radiation is at its highest level. In this paper we analyse the effective irradiances (I) experienced in nature by eggs and embryos of the patagonian anurans Pleurodema bufoninum, Pleurodema thaul and Bufo spinulosus papillosus, considering water and egg jelly optical properties. Besides, we determine photoprotective pigments in eggs and embryos of the different species, and ontogenetic shifts in pigment concentration. Finally, we studied the effects of natural and enhanced levels of UV-B on eggs of P. bufoninum aiming to evaluate the role of the jelly envelope in screening the damaging radiation. The evidence gathered in this work shows that natural and enhanced UV-B levels did not induce significant changes on the survivorship but incremented the occurrence of malformations. Also, the species experiencing high levels of exposure presented high concentrations of melanin suggesting that exposure to sunlight triggers photoprotection by pigments. Collectively our results suggest that the studied species bear certain levels of adaptation to cope with high ambient UVR conferred by environmental and biological factors.