Biofluorescence Lights Up The Deep
Biofluorescence happens when organisms absorb light, transform it, and eject it as a different color.
The marine science world really found out about the extent of biofluorescence in an article published on Plos One in 2014. Before this article, scientists have known about it in cnidarians (jellyfish and corals) and a wide variety of land animals such a butterflies, spiders, and even flowers since the 1960s. However, it never really was documented in bony fish, sharks or sea turtles!
Article: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0083259
Biofluorescence is different from bioluminescence.
Bioluminescence is light produced by a chemical reaction within a living organism. In contrast, biofluorescence results from the absorption of electromagnetic radiation at one wavelength by an organism, followed by its reemission at a longer and lower energy wavelength. This is what causes us to see these marine animals “glowing” in the dark in a variety of green, orange, and red colorations.
During an expedition led by scientists from the American Museum of Natural Sciences in 2014 around the Solomon Islands, the team discovered over 180 species that glow in a wide range of colors and patterns.
The scientific team revealed that fish biofluorescence is extremely variable, ranging from simple eye rings, to glowing green mucus secreted on the outside of fishes, to quite complex fluorescent patterns throughout the body, including internally. They also found that it is most prominent and phenotypically variable in cryptically patterned, well-camouflaged lineages that otherwise blend in with their surroundings.
Now one year later in 2015, this hawksbill sea turtle is the first reptile ever recorded showing biofluorescence. It is possible that the neon lights may help with camouflaging the turtle. Nevertheless, the use of bioluminescence in sea turtles remains a complete mystery for now. Dr. Gruber explained that it may be too early to understand why the turtle radiates these lights.
Watch & learn:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explorers/bios/david-gruber/
#marinelife #biofluorescence #biodiversity #coolcritters
Clearly we need to be adding UV lighting to our scuba gear. Man, that's neat-looking.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine glowing hands and trouser legs (or even floors, walls) if our mucous did that. There isn't always a tissue handy after all...
ReplyDeleteSam Collett -- there are somewhat analogous things going on with humans. There are a network of lines on our skin called Blashko's Lines that probably reflect how embryonic cells differentiate, and apparently under some circumstances can be visualized with fluorescent lights.
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