The Scientific Advancements Of Bioluminescence

In the article “What’s at the Bottom of the Ocean?” authored by Samantha Larson, it states that there is more to see on the ocean floor than meets the eye. David Gruber, the main oceanographer in the ocean exploration team, has discovered hundreds of unknown species and has even helped with breakthroughs in medical research. “The deep sea is a beautiful and foreign place, with many different creatures and geological structures,” Gruber expressed. When he was traveling underwater in the South Pacific, he witnessed tens of thousands of tiny flashlight fish swimming in 20 foot waters. He also discovered that these flashlight fish use biofluorescence to communicate with each other by absorbing blue light and turning

First off, are the squid's ginormous eyes which are so big that they are the largest eyes of any animal on the earth, as big as 30 centimeters across (1). That is about 3 times the diameter of an average sized dinner plate. These huge eyes give the squid the ability to absorb more light so that they can see in the deep, dark ocean (1). It is exactly like how human's pupils expand in the dark. On the same topic of sight, the coloring of giant squids change from the ocean's surface to the deep sea (1). At the surface, squid appear pink or reddish orange, but in the deep water they look silvery or gold (1). This change in coloring no doubt is an adaptation to deep sea life, probably for concealment purposes. One of the squid's more unique body parts is their funnel; this is located underneath the squid's body and propels the squid by pumping water, obviously a remarkable adaptation for underwater life (1). The giant squid also has several body parts that help the squid feed. These are as following: feeding tentacles that capture the food, arms that guide the food from the tentacle to the beak, and the beak that slices the food into smaller pieces that the squid can consume (1). Giant squids are full of remarkable features beneficial for their

It also wouldn’t be helpful in the dark because unlike the Dumbo octopus, some sea animals can actually see in the dark and they are normally the predators which eat the Dumbo octopuses and other small deep sea creatures.

Daphnia is an order of cladoceran that are a part of the genus of small crustaceans ranging from one to five millimeters in length (Campbell, 2004; Corroto 2010). Daphnia are also naturally transparent, allowing for a variety of research opportunities that are observable with current day technology. Water fleas are another name for Daphnia due to their distinct, jerky swimming patterns (Chin, 2011; Campbell, 2004). Additionally, Daphnia seem to have tufts of hair, relatively large eyes, and red “lips”. Daphnia also feature an ocellus, a light-sensing organ under the compound eye (Chin, 2011; Corotto, 2010).

During the day, the squid bury itself in sand or muddy area near sea grass beds. Besides that, it forms camouflage by gluing sand grain to its body. Night, they emerge to feed. A type of bioluminescence sea creature. It will emit light from their ventral surface. The light emitted is adjusted to match the intensity of moonlight. Collaboration of Hawaiian bobtail squid's eyes and extraocular vesicle use to monitor the down-welling light via silhouette reduction. This behaviour called as counter-illumination. Thus, the squid can adjust the intensity of bioluminescence as it moves to various depth by modifying the ink sac, which function as a diaphragm around the

The tapetum lucidum is an evolutionary advantage for animals. It enables animals to see in dimmer light than the animal would otherwise be able to see in. The tapetum lucidum is useful to animals, but it also has a use to humans. Human beings use the tapetum lucidum to scan for reflected eye-shine, in order to detect and identify the species of animals in the dark and to send trained search dogs and search horses out at night. Historically, its function was regarded as simply to increase the light intensity of an image on the retina. Using eye shine to identify animals in the dark implies not only color but, also several other features. The color reciprocates to the type of tapetum

According to research previously done, the intensity of light only manages to increase the production of photosynthesis to a certain

In this experiment, luminol was synthesized in the lab and used to demonstrate the result of the chemiluminescence reaction.

The researchers focused their study on determining whether cuttlefish adjust their body pattern intensity with reference to artificial and natural substrate intensity under different light conditions of bright light, moderate light, low light, and extremely low light. For each set of experiments, 10 adult Sepia officinalis were confined with an artificial or natural substrate placed the floor and walls of a seawater-filled tank and was left to get accustomed to low light for 20 minutes. After those 20 minutes, a photo was taken using a flash, digital camera. The cuttlefish is then left to adapt in a set light condition with the same substrate for another 20 minutes. Following the 20 minutes, the light is turned off and a flash photo was

Chemiluminescence refers to luminol reacting with an oxidizing reagent such as hydrogen peroxide and any hydroxide-based base, resulting in blue light emission. Light is emitted because reactants go from an excited state to a lower energy level. Chemiluminescence is the result of light being emitted without heat due to a chemical reaction. Luminol’s chemiluminescent properties are commonly used for crime scene investigation. At crimes scenes, investigators spray luminol and a base to find blood traces.

They use their tentacles to catch prey, and olfactory stimuli help them detect light in order to do so. They feed on other marine invertebrates like copepods and also plankton. In order to move food toward their mouth, they need to use their four long tentacles. These tentacles have nematocysts cells or stinging cells that soften their prey which help them capture their prey easier and it doesn’t cause damage to their tantalizing tentacles. They are also prey to other fish and sea turtles, which makes somewhat of a competition between the

Creatures that live in the Benthic Zone have zero light, because of this they produce their own. The light that these creatures produce are called ‘Bioluminescence.’ The bioluminescence is important to these creatures because they use in their day-to-day lives. The more common anglerfish uses its glowing angling structure as a lure to attract smaller fish to come closer so it can eat them. While the anglerfish uses the luminescence to attract prey, other creatures use it to protect themselves. One creature in particular spits out the luminescence to blind and stun the attacker long enough for it to get away. Not only is bioluminescence good for attracting prey and for a self-defense mechanism but some creatures use it as a way to attract mates.

Aquatic species are full of interesting physiological designs, from gills to adaptive skin, they have learned to adjust to their environment in order to have optimal survival. When it comes to physiological adaptations, camouflage proves impressive. Organisms from many different species utilize camouflage in order to maximize survival: owls, geckos, fish to name a few. However, cephalopod mollusks such as an octopus utilize camouflage as their primary defense against predators. The reliance on mimicry displays how refined and detailed the mechanism to camouflage is, otherwise the success of the species would not be where it is today. By utilizing visual acuity and specialized skin, octopi are able

Bioluminescence − light produced by a living plant or animal − is one of nature’s great spectacles. If you’re lucky, you may have seen a summertime display by fireflies, members of the most well-known bioluminescent species in the United States. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a creature known as the firefly squid also provides a yearly light show. Gathering each year to spawn along the coast of Japan, these squid light up bays and shorelines with a brilliant wash of blue.

One of the essential elements of life for living organisms is survival, which in most cases, requires the consumption of other organisms, and therefore is where separating living organisms into two categories: predator and prey. But with survival there comes a time where the organism must avoid death by factors of life. The influence of camouflage on the predation rate has given the organism that is preyed apound a chance to experience a longer life span. According to G.D. Ruxton in “Non-visual crypsis: a review of the empirical evidence for camouflage to senses other than vision,” organisms use the ability to camouflage to make themselves seem invisible or difficult to see to their prey. Camouflage varies from changes in the color of the body,