Ecosystems, Evolution, and Ultraviolet Radiation

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-x

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2. A Photobiological History of Earth

   • Charles S. Cockell

   Pages 1-35

3. Physical Factors Determining Ultraviolet Radiation Flux into Ecosystems

   • Marguerite A. Xenopoulos, David W. Schindler

   Pages 36-62

4. Ultraviolet Radiation and Amphibians

   • Andrew R. Blaustein, Lisa K. Belden, Audrey C. Hatch, Lee B. Kats, Peter D. Hoffman, John B. Hays et al.

   Pages 63-79

5. Ultraviolet Radiation and Plant Ecosystems

   • Thomas A. Day

   Pages 80-117

6. Ultraviolet Radiation and Coral Communities

   • Daniel F. Gleason

   Pages 118-149

7. Ultraviolet Radiation and Aquatic Microbial Ecosystems

   • Donat-P. Häder

   Pages 150-169

8. Ultraviolet Radiation and the Antarctic Coastal Marine Ecosystem

   • Maria Vernet, Wendy Kozlowski

   Pages 170-194

9. Ultraviolet Radiation and Exobiology

   • Charles S. Cockell

   Pages 195-217

10. Back Matter

    Pages 219-221

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Much has been written about the effects of increased UV radiation caused by stratospheric ozone depletion on the weather, but there has been a dearth of publications on the role of UV on ecosystems as a whole. Now that much more is known about the effects of UV radiation at the organism level, we are gaining an understanding of how this impacts on specific ecosystems. From microbial to plant ecosystems, the book examines how changes in UV radiation, caused by anthropogenic ozone depletion, as well as changes in radiation levels throughout the evolution of life on Earth, can alter species composition and interspecies competitiveness. Two foci of the book are the evolutionary aspects of the effects of UV and also the various synergistic interactions of UV radiation with other environmental factors. Because our knowledge of UV effects on whole ecosystems is still at a relatively early stage, an important part of each chapter is an overview of future research directions and indications of where new data and knowledge are needed.

• Cloud
• Ozone depletion
• Scale
• amphibians
• arctic
• atmosphere
• biological
• biology
• climate
• ecosystem
• ecosystems
• environment
• evolution
• ozone
• phytoplankton

• High Cross, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK

  Charles S. Cockell

• Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA

  Andrew R. Blaustein

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