Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes
ABSTRACT Zooplankton, particularly copepods, are key components in aquatic food webs. However, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on copepods in marine systems, especially at tropical and subtropical latitudes, are not well understood. Incubations in UV and non‐UV treatments during outdoor so...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71701 |
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| author | Samuel Hylander Jeremias Nhaca Ilário Timba Marc M. Hauber David V. P. Conway Salomão Bandeira |
| author_facet | Samuel Hylander Jeremias Nhaca Ilário Timba Marc M. Hauber David V. P. Conway Salomão Bandeira |
| author_sort | Samuel Hylander |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Zooplankton, particularly copepods, are key components in aquatic food webs. However, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on copepods in marine systems, especially at tropical and subtropical latitudes, are not well understood. Incubations in UV and non‐UV treatments during outdoor solar experiments at a subtropical latitude where copepods dominated the zooplankton community demonstrated that UV exposure led to 40%–50% higher mortality than in non‐UV treatments after 4 h of exposure. In outdoor plankton migration tower experiments, most copepods avoided surface waters regardless of radiation treatment. While adaptations to avoid UV damage, such as the accumulation of photoprotective compounds, were observed in copepods, they were insufficient to fully mitigate UV‐induced harm. Thus, surface avoidance is likely the primary adaptation employed by copepods and other zooplankton to evade UV exposure. This study expands upon existing UV research, which has largely focused on high‐latitude and high‐altitude ecosystems, suggesting that UV is a major environmental threat factor for low‐latitude zooplankton. Hence, projected future climate‐change related or geoengineering‐driven increases in UV levels in subtropical and tropical systems may lead to higher mortality rates in zooplankton populations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-34e2628b5ccb4aaba0b8460aa5d4185e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-34e2628b5ccb4aaba0b8460aa5d4185e2025-08-20T02:46:17ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582025-07-01157n/an/a10.1002/ece3.71701Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical LatitudesSamuel Hylander0Jeremias Nhaca1Ilário Timba2Marc M. Hauber3David V. P. Conway4Salomão Bandeira5Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS) Linnaeus University Kalmar SwedenInhaca Marine Biology Station Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Maputo MozambiqueInhaca Marine Biology Station Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Maputo MozambiqueDepartment of Biology and Environmental Science, Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems (EEMiS) Linnaeus University Kalmar SwedenMarine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Plymouth UKDepartment of Biological Sciences Universidade Eduardo Mondlane Maputo MozambiqueABSTRACT Zooplankton, particularly copepods, are key components in aquatic food webs. However, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation on copepods in marine systems, especially at tropical and subtropical latitudes, are not well understood. Incubations in UV and non‐UV treatments during outdoor solar experiments at a subtropical latitude where copepods dominated the zooplankton community demonstrated that UV exposure led to 40%–50% higher mortality than in non‐UV treatments after 4 h of exposure. In outdoor plankton migration tower experiments, most copepods avoided surface waters regardless of radiation treatment. While adaptations to avoid UV damage, such as the accumulation of photoprotective compounds, were observed in copepods, they were insufficient to fully mitigate UV‐induced harm. Thus, surface avoidance is likely the primary adaptation employed by copepods and other zooplankton to evade UV exposure. This study expands upon existing UV research, which has largely focused on high‐latitude and high‐altitude ecosystems, suggesting that UV is a major environmental threat factor for low‐latitude zooplankton. Hence, projected future climate‐change related or geoengineering‐driven increases in UV levels in subtropical and tropical systems may lead to higher mortality rates in zooplankton populations.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71701mortalityUVzooplankton |
| spellingShingle | Samuel Hylander Jeremias Nhaca Ilário Timba Marc M. Hauber David V. P. Conway Salomão Bandeira Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes Ecology and Evolution mortality UV zooplankton |
| title | Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes |
| title_full | Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes |
| title_fullStr | Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes |
| title_short | Copepod Mortality due to Short‐Term Exposure to Natural Ultraviolet Radiation at Subtropical Latitudes |
| title_sort | copepod mortality due to short term exposure to natural ultraviolet radiation at subtropical latitudes |
| topic | mortality UV zooplankton |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71701 |
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