a Misato Plaheat Mfg., Ltd., 521-18 Kamiuwada, Satte-shi, Saitama 340-0124, Japan
b Department of Life Sciences (Biology), Graduate School of Arts and Science, Tokyo University, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan
Abstract:
In most ectotherms, environmental temperature has differential effects on growth and differentiation. For example, amphibian size at maturity decreases with increasing temperature. To address how radiant heat in the form of far-infrared radiation (FIR) may affect development of the aquatic ectotherm Xenopus laevis, we continuously irradiated swimming larvae as they developed into young adults. Here we report evidence that FIR promotes growth of these organisms in an aqueous environment.