The Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation on Symbiotic Cnidarians: Action Spectra, Sites of Damage, and Bleaching

平流层臭氧层的减少导致到达陆地和水生生态系统的有害紫外线辐射量增加。最近的数据表明，这种现象也将影响热带生态系统。热带生态系统在暴露于紫外线辐射通量方面有很长的进化历史，可以为研究抵御紫外线辐射有害影响的进化机制提供相当大的洞察力。我们目前还不确定共生线虫的任何生理功能与紫外线辐射的波长相关的效率(作用光谱)。在世界各地异常高的海洋表面温度之后，最近观察到了大范围的珊瑚白化事件。如果紫外线辐射与升高的海水温度协同作用，将需要行动光谱来预测在海水温度上升或不升高的情况下，什么剂量的紫外线辐射可以导致漂白。了解漂白现象的一个重要步骤是确定温度、可见光辐射和紫外线辐射对共生缔合功能生物学的独立和协同影响。

The decrease of the stratospheric ozone layer has resulted in an increase in the amount of harmful ultraviolet radiation reaching both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Recent data indicates that this phenomenon will also affect tropical ecosystems. Tropical ecosystems have a long evolutionary history of exposure to fluxes of UV radiation, and can provide considerable insight into evolved mechanisms of protection against the deleterious effects of UV radiation. We presently do not know with confidence the wave length-dependent efficiency (action spectrum) of UV radiation for any physiological function in symbiotic cnidarians. Widespread coral bleaching events have recently been observed following anomolously high sea surface temperatures around the world. If UV radiation synergistically interacts with increased sea water temperatures, action spectra will be required to predict what dose of UV radiation can induce bleaching, with or without an increase in sea water temperature. An important step in understanding the bleaching phenomenon is to determine the independent and synergistic effects of temperature, visible radiation, and UV radiation on the functional biology of symbiotic associations.