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Behavioral Avoidance Of Ultraviolet-B Radiation By Two Species Of Neotropical Poison-Dart Frogs, Barbara Han, Lee Kats, Rachel Pommerening, Ryan Ferrer, Marcia Murry-Ewers, Andrew Blaustein

Lee Kats

Many animals, plants, and microorganisms are harmed by ultraviolet-B radiation. In particular, several members of class amphibia are negatively affected by exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation. Exposure to ultraviolet-B radiation can cause death or various types of sublethal damage in amphibians. One mechanism to lessen the effect of harmful ultraviolet-B radiation is to limit exposure to sunlight behaviorally. Few studies have examined the behavioral sensitivity of adult amphibians to ultraviolet-B radiation. Using both field experiments and field observations, we found that two species of diurnal poison-dart frogs in Costa Rica (Dendrobates pumilio, D. auratus) consistently preferred areas in the field and …