Discoveries in the Making
Of Frogs and Men
An increase in ultraviolet B radiation from the sun may be wreaking havoc on the health of frogs worldwide.
The findings of University of Ottawa biology professor Vance Trudeau and PhD student Maxine Croteau, who is co-supervised by David Lean, are significant to humans in that frogs are an ecological indicator species and a decline in their health reflects the health of the ecosystem on which we all depend.
The researchers at the Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics have found that exposure of tadpoles to environmentally relevant levels of UVB radiation can significantly delay and even prevent metamorphosis. When combined with octylphenol, a common pollutant, animals have increased levels of mortality and exhibit more developmental abnormalities. Common developmental abnormalities seen in this lab-based research are tail-kinking and bloated abdomens, which make it difficult for the tadpoles to swim.
Therefore, an increase in UVB, possibly due to ozone depletion, could contribute to upsets in the development of frogs. This disturbance to frog health indicates a larger negative impact on our living environment and potentially on human health.
Vance Trudeau
Department of Biology
Tel: 613-562-5800, ext. 6165
E-mail: trudeauv@uOttawa.ca