Effect of Increased UV on Melanin Production in Animals

When the skin is exposed to the UV rays, an increased amount of melanin spreads throughout the skin. The
melanin serves a purpose in protecting the skin from the harmful and direct UV rays. The darker pigment (tan) that you
get after being exposed to sunlight, is caused by the increase of melanin. Melanin pigment is produced by cutaneous
and follicular melanocytes, which determines our skin tone.
The increased amount of melanin production in animals is initiated by UV ray exposure. UV light is an abiotic
factor that comes from the major energy source of all life, the sun. The phenotypic pigment of your skin also depends
on your own responsiveness to UV rays. The regulation of examined melanogenesis helps us understand the range of
phenotypic differences in pigmentary traits.
Considering that melanin production is also affiliated with genes, natural selection will occur. For instance,
albinism is a disorder that is caused by a genetic mutation. Albinism is described as the absence of melanin. The
absence of melanin in the skin can lead to severe sensitivity to the sun’s Ultraviolet rays, causing painfully burning
sensations to the skin. In addition, the overwhelming production of melanin in response to heavy UV exposure is also
harmful. The production of melanin darkens the skin as a natural defense mechanism to protect your body from the
damaging UV rays. If you are exposed to too much UV light, the melanin production in your skin will go out of
control. This is what causes sunburns. Depending on the genetic factor that is affiliated with your body’s
responsiveness to the UV light, people will experience different UV intensities. Those that have lighter complexions
are more at risk of burning due to their low amount of melanin. Fair- skinned people may be at risk of the production of
melanomas. Melanomas are black/brown skin tumors that form due to excess melanin production. Therefore, albinism
and paler complexions are selected against because of their intense responsiveness to UV light that can lead to sunburns
and eventually (if not taken care of), skin cancer. When something is selected against, there will be a decline of that
particular gene or trait due to natural selection. Evolution is what initiates the decline of these genes/traits that are
selected against. This explains why albinism is so rare.
The exposure of your skin to UV radiation destroys folate. Folate is a molecule that plays a vital role in DNA
metabolism. During pregnancy, folate deficiency can lead to birth defects. Darkly pigmented skin protects folate from
being broken apart. One evolutionary theory says that the organisms that do not contain pigmentation genes suffered
with folate shortages, which caused them to produce fewer and less healthy offsprings. This theory supports the idea
that pigmentation genes are selected for. That is, any organism carrying gene mutations that produced protective
pigmentation genes in the skin, would leave behind more offspring and have a fitness advantage over those without
pigmentation genes in the skin. Due to the correlation between evolution and natural selection, the genes that produce
pigmented skin will progress to later generations. Other genes that aren’t selected for (organisms that do not contain
pigmentation genes), will gradually die off, reducing the likeliness of reproduction of those selected against.
Reduced melanin production can also complicate many other areas of the body, one of them being neurological.
Parkinson’s disease can onset due to the decreased amount of melanin that is being produced in the body.
Melanin production in humans can vary throughout the world. This variation of production correlates with
environmental factors. For instance, latitude. Latitude affects the amount of sunlight exposure. People that are located
close to the equator, contain higher levels of vitamin D than those located in regions farther from the equator. Melanin
production goes hand- in- hand with vitamin D production because melanin notably affects the synthesis of vitamin D
production. Multiple models and clinical studies prove Vitamin D production as a modulator for the immune system.
Knowing that the environment largely affects the amount of vitamin D (and therefore melanin) being produced, and
that vitamin D production is important in order to maintain a stable immune system, melanin is vital in order to regulate
the synthesis of vitamin D. Skin pigmentation, vitamin D, and the prevalence of autoimmune diseases are all initiated
by the amount of melanin contained in one’s skin.
Citations:
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/asavannah/importance-melanin
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/140305_skincolor
http://palaeo.gly.bris.ac.uk/melanosomes/melanin.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/our-blogs/cmasterjohn/vitamin-d-problems-with-the-latitude-hypothesis/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19182816