Evan Lacey

Biology 101: Hybrid

Online lab # 31

Identifying the Environmental Culprit Harming Amphibians

1. Statement of problem being investigated - Within certain environments, a phenomenon has

occurred in which organisms, specifically amphibians, is reproducing with abnormal mutations
including, but not limited to, excess limbs, missing eyes, and other bizarre traits. The primary
objective in the experiment is to determine the factor, specifically UV – B raditation that are
creating the mutations.

2. Review of the issue being investigated and the overview of the experiment: The issue
being investigated is the detrimental effect of UV- B radiation on developing Salamander eggs.
The objective was to allow fertilized eggs to develop in natural conditions with and without a
UV –B protective shield. The experiment showed that the eggs without the blocking shield had a
drastically lower survival rate, while also having a exponentially greater chance of having
deformities.

3. Data and Results: The Survival rate of the salamander eggs under the UV –B blocking shield
remained nearly 100% over four three day intervals. However, under the same circumstances,
the eggs without the shield ended below 25% survival rate. Furthermore, of the salamanders who
survived, nearly 100% had deformities without the shield, while the eggs with shield had a single
deformity.

4. Conclusion for the Investigation: After a thorough understanding of the data, the clear
conclusion is that the UV –B radiation is causing not only the mortality rates, but also the level
of deformities. This provides the information needed to fully understand the experiment in
context. Salamanders have low levels of photolyase activity, which removes the harmful effects
of UV light. Thus amphibians with low levels of photolyase activity will be adversely affected
by increased UV levels due to ozone depletion.