Fireflies, luminescent deep sea life , and glowing blue waves at night are all examples of bioluminescence.

Glowing Waves? Not Really! Bioluminescence and its Role in Nature Fireflies, luminescent deep sea life, and glowing blue waves at night are all examples of bioluminescence. This natural phenomenon occurs when organisms emit their own light as the result of an internal chemical reaction within their cells (Nat’l Geographic par. 1). The most common of these reactions would be the luciferin-luciferase reaction, where the substrate luciferin is oxidized by the enzyme luciferase, which then produces light particles (Hardeland and Hoppenrath par. 2). This particular chemical interaction has been present in several terrestrial organisms such as fireflies and railroad worms, as well as thousands of marine species including various types of fish, squid, and jellyfish. However, bioluminescence isn’t only found in organisms of the Animalia kingdom. Dinoflagellates such as the species from the genus Pyrocystis have also been proven the cause of the glowing shores at night, and have also been used for several experiments that have been conducted in order to understand the role of bioluminescence in nature and how (and why) their cells react to different circumstances (Fajardo and Donato 2020). Scientists and biologists have been experimenting with the bioluminescent properties of some organisms to further develop their understanding of and to utilize the obtained information to broaden the scientific perspective. The key to understanding bioluminescence in organisms and its role in the scientific and natural world is to recognize its ecological significance, analyze the way its cells are structured, as well as how it reacts to certain environmental circumstances. All living things on this planet have some sort of defensive or reproductive system built into their genetic structure. In the same way, various types of animals and microscopic plants have been discovered to use bioluminescence as a means of survival. One reason these organisms luminesce is to hunt by luring prey in the dark, or becoming virtually invisible. An accurate example of this method would be the infamous anglerfish, which is well-known for the single glowing light it uses to hunt and attract prey at the dark depths of the ocean floor. This suggests that bioluminescence has evolved several times over a long period of time -most notably in the ocean- to accommodate the needs of sea life residing in several different elevations. The other reasons organisms luminesce are to attract mates or to defend themselves. Fireflies are one example of creatures that emit light for reproductive purposes, as most that flash their lights are males communicating to females that they are available for mating (Nat’l Geographic par. 31). Furthermore, bioluminescence has also been studied and discovered to react in the defensive aspect. Some luminescing organisms emit light to warn potential predators that their light symbolizes toxicity. This means that it would be harmful for the hunter to consume them. Experiments have also been conducted with dinoflagellates to test the “burglar alarm” theory, which states that the organisms (specifically dinoflagellates) do not simply flash light to deter the threat firsthand, but do so in order to attract bigger predators to do it for them (Burkenroad pp. 161-164). However, the data and results gathered by Abrahams and Townsends’s experiment suggested that though the bioluminescence of the organisms did not completely ward off grazers, the grazers’ decrease in feeding efficiency had still been due to the presence of bioluminescence in the first place (pp. 258-260). The various types of bioluminescence systems are distinguishable by the different structures and purposes of each part of the participating cells. All organisms that luminesce produce the enzyme luciferase in order to make any sort of light-producing chemical reaction. The different types of luciferases produced by organisms determine the color of the emitted light itself (Viviani and Silva par. 10), the intensity of the light, and the mode of which it luminesces (Hardeland and Hoppenrath pars. 16-19). According to an observation by R. Hardeland, a single pyrocystis elegans cell’s plastids pull back from the center and uncover the luminescent particles inside the cell during bioluminescence. This is just one example of how organisms use their unique cell structure in order to luminesce. An organism’s bioluminescence heavily depends on and is influenced by their environmental conditions. The same researcher discovered that a bioluminescent plant’s cells would go through a process known as “photoinhibition, ” where they would essentially suppress the light being emitted from their cells. This usually happens during the daylight hours in order to allow plants to undergo photosynthesis, and so they begin to luminesce only when night falls. As a result, some species have developed a circadian rhythm. In other words, they have a biological clock making it so that their luminescing and photosynthesizing hours are routine (Hardeland and Hoppenrath pars. 19-21). Knowing this, one could infer that seasonal changes in the day/night cycle cause altercations in the circadian rhythm of these plants, such as having longer luminescing hours in the winter and longer photosynthesizing hours in the summer. In addition to this point, the different colors of bioluminescent light also vary between different environments. In the ocean, lighting up red, green, or blue often meant that those organisms could never be visibly detected by other sea life. Some animals lost the ability to see certain colors altogether due to light wavelengths not being able to reach that far below sea level, and so the animals that glow that same color are conveniently concealed. The animals that glow the same color as the surface water, though, are also hidden from predators that hunt by shadow detection down below. (Nat’l Geographic pars. 7, 11). While there is more variety in an organism’s emitted light color on land, oceanic species would have had more time to evolve their luciferases and incorporate bioluminescence into their ecosystem. In conclusion, it is important to understand and acknowledge the role of bioluminescence in the world’s ecosystem, their unique cell features, and how they respond according to different natural circumstances. Scientists have reported that “This singularity has inspired not only literature and art, but also an intensive scientific dissection” (Fajardo and Donato et. al. par. 1). They discovered that bioluminescence has become crucial to the survival of some species; allowing them to hunt, defend themselves, and reproduce. Their cell structure and functions are the parts that allow them to luminesce in the first place, and their dependence on the nature around them has allowed scientists and biologists to broaden their understanding of the natural world further. Understanding the how’s and why’s of nature has always been a part of science and human curiosity, and so understanding bioluminescence would allow people to conjure up ergonomic solutions to real-world environmental issues, securing a new and improved world for the future of humankind.