Little is known of the ability of amphibian larvae to behaviorally avoid exposure to UV radiation. We examined whether wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) tadpoles avoid UV-B radiation and, more generally, sunlight. We found that wood frog tadpoles were located more often under a UV-B blocking filter (only after 60 min) or under shade than would be expected if their behavior was random. Our observations suggest that wood frog tadpoles may minimize exposure to UV-B, either by directly avoiding UV-B or coincidentally by choosing shade.
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1 June 2011
Possible Behavioral Avoidance of UV-B Radiation and Sunlight in Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) Tadpoles
Jared C. Connolly,
Britni L. Kress,
Geoffrey R. Smith,
Jessica E. Rettig
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Current Herpetology
Vol. 30 • No. 1
June 2011
Vol. 30 • No. 1
June 2011
amphibian
Behavioral avoidance
Lithobates sylvaticus
sunlight
UV-B radiation