What role does body size play in determining the effects of UV radiation exposure on amphibians?

Ultraviolet radiation is a potent physiological stressor of amphibian larvae, capable of causing a variety of lethal and sub-lethal effects in exposed animals. UV radiation causes DNA damage in exposed cells, and to survive, cells much repair the damage. However, the surface area of exposed cells (relative to the total tadpole size) changes markedly over development and this has ramifications for the amount of DNA damage that may be incurred. This project will broaden our understanding of the relationship between body size and UV-associated DNA damage in tadpoles to determine how susceptibility to UV-radiation changes over ontogeny.

Primary Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Cramp
Co-Supervisor: Professor Craig Franklin