THE LIFE THAT GLOWS
Bioluminescence-
are the phenomena to produce and emit light as a result of a chemical reaction. you may have seen the sparkle of fireflies on a summer's night that glow comes from fly's abdomen where the reaction takes place. bioluminescence was most commonly observed in marine life.these light-producing animals of the deep sea used it to lure and capture prey, to avoid potential predators and possibly for mating. dive underwater at night and you will definitely see these amazing creatures in action producing a different version of blue, green and red color bioluminescence.
glowing underwater history
E.n. Harvey was the first person to identify bioluminescence in animals besides Charles Darwin who also noticed a luminous jellyfish of the genus Dionaea. he wrote about it in his journals. bioluminescence has evolved independently at least 50 different times and can be found among such diverse lifeforms as mushrooms, fireflies, and terrifying deep-sea creatures. all bioluminescence organisms have luciferin and luciferase enzymes common in their organs these compounds emit light when exposed with oxygen. the nervous system of an animal controls light emission using it for communication. let's explore bioluminescent deep-sea creatures.
1. Anglerfish-
this creepy angry-looking angler fish got his name from distinctive-looking spine like a fishing pole tipped with a glowing fleshy bait angler fish entice prey close enough to catch.this glow comes from the luminous bacteria they are inhabitants of earth's most inhospitable place dark gloomy bottom of the sea. their body features adapt to swallow prey twice It has a very large mouth with sharp, fang-like teeth their body size they mostly feed on crustaceans and other fishes. besides food, the lure is used to attract mates males have no luring apparatus they usually depend on the female for nourishment
2. vampire squid-
the vampire squid is another bizarre deep-sea inhabitant they remain unchanged since the age of dinosaurs. The vampire squid from hell isn’t neither a vampire nor a squid its body structure resembles jellyfish there entire body is covered with light-producing organ photophores that produce bioluminescence to attract prey or distract predators. The vampire squid is found in the temperate and tropical regions of the ocean. unlike other squids, vampire squids don't change the color of their skin and instead of ejecting ink they defend themselves through bioluminescence because ink sacs are useless in a pitch-black deep sea
3. Crystal jellyfish-
crystal jellyfish belong to the largest class of hydrozoans they are found off the west coast of North America. Their bodies are soft transparent and contain up to 100 tentacles toxins are injected to paralyze the prey they easily capture animals that are twice their body size The crystal jelly eats copepods, and other planktonic creatures, comb jellies, and other jellyfish. the natural color of crystal jellyfish is white but they produce green luminescence
because they have a green fluorescent protein called aequorin this green pigment is of great beneficial value in early diagnosis of cancer and used as a biological highlighter to speed up genetic studies
4. dinoflagellates
one of the most spectacular forms of bioluminescence is produced by dinoflagellates.this unicellular organism glows bluish-green color only a few genera have bioluminescence properties. that tiny single-celled organism belongs to plankton that can sometimes cause the surface of the ocean to sparkle at night. the bioluminescence regulation in dinoflagellates is not fully understood but the sole purpose of glowing is to disrupt the feeding behavior of predators resulting in fewer dinoflagellates being consumed. under certain conditions they several species rapidly reproduce to form red tide that discolors water and may kill fish or even fatal to humans. once dinoflagellate cells oxidize all luciferin flash is gone but they successfully recharge the chemical again.
4. railroad worm-
the railroad worm most precisely known as Phrixothrix hirtus these glowing spots along the female's body resemble the windows of train cars internally illuminated this specimen is an adult female larviform while males mature into beetles. railroad worm is the only species that characterized by the possession of two different colors of bioluminescence. the segments of thorax and abdomen can glow yellowish-green while pair on head glows red. different versions of luciferase cause the bioluminescence to express differently. the worm is nocturnal so they display yellowish-green light to warn potential predators
5. Atolla jellyfish-
another bioluminescent creature of the deep ocean is the Atolla jellies also known as alarm jelly or Coronate medusa they are inhabitants of midnight zone because no sunlight penetrates these depths in order to survive in the dark environment the Atolla bell has long series of tentacles at its margin. when threatened the jellyfish illuminates its gonads that are arranged in a circular ring it radiates a bright blue light to alarm predators and distracts them. The bright display is used to attract even bigger predators come to scare off the small predator, giving time for the jellyfish to escape
6. Motyxia millipede-
Motyxia, which are the only known bioluminescent millipedes, are found solely in a small region of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California. they are cyanide-producing millipedes. these invertebrates have a special glowing protein which allows them to produce light beneath the thick cuticle scientist have concluded that this creature radiance serves as a purpose of defense to warn nocturnal predators by emitting cyanide when it feels threatened. bioluminescence in millipedes caused by the chemical reaction of photoprotein that involves magnesium and oxygen this reaction evolve to survive the oxidative stress of the hot and dry environment
6. comb jellies-
comb jellies are transparent glob like creature they cannot sting. they have unique plates of giant fused cilia which runs in eight rows up and down it helps jellies to swim through the water these beating cilia often produce a rainbow effect. most species have bioluminescent properties the light is usually blue or green and can only be shown in darkness. photoprotein an enzyme in comb jellies produce light when calcium changes the enzyme's shape releasing energy
7. Tomopetris-
tomopetris belongs to the marine group of polychaetes worms their body is transparent until they shine a deep bioluminescent blue light. this is used to distract predators making them follow the trail of light instead of the actual animal. these planktonic annelids have been found to emit yellow light from parapodial glands. the diversity of bioluminescence colors suggest that light production in annelids involved in a defensive mechanism like the aposematic coloration and intraspecific communication systems
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