Ultraviolet Radiation Tolerance in High Elevation Copepods from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, USA
Description:
Copepods in high elevation lakes and ponds in Colorado are exposed to significant levels of ultraviolet radiation (UV), necessitating development of UV avoidance behavior and photoprotective physiological adaptations. The copepods are brightly pigmented due to accumulation of astaxanthin, a carotenoid which has photoprotective and antioxidant properties. Astaxanthin interacts with a crustacyanin-like protein, shifting its absorbance from 473 nm (hydrophobic free form, appears red) to 632 nm (pr…
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Date:
December 2011
Creator:
Hudelson, Karista
Partner:
UNT Libraries