Science Bioluminescence in Deep Sea Creatures Did you know that ninety percent of deep sea dwellers are able to give off light straight from their bodies? The light emission from a living organism in the ocean is known as bioluminescence. As a human race we need to dig deeper into the study of these creatures in hopes of fully understanding what bioluminescence is, why is it being used, and how can it help us. Bioluminescence is a mixture of chemicals inside a living thing that glows and generally lives in the twilight zone of the ocean. Bioluminescence consists of, “Two different kinds of light emission, luminescence is when chemical compounds mix together and glow. Incandescence is a filament inside the creature that gets very hot and emits light.” (Wilson, Tracy). Bioluminescence is mostly chemistry and how different chemicals mix together to give off different appearances. Luciferin produces light, while luciferase is a catalyst which often needs a charged ion to activate it. Life in the sea most often use coelenterazine, a type of luciferin. These particular animals live in the deeper parts of the ocean like the twilight zone. These animals can’t function in the shallows of the ocean, so they retreat to the depths. The twilight zone is 660 to 3030 feet deep which means, “The only light that reaches where these fish are is a blue greenish color which gets absorbed by plant, so most of the light they give off is red” (Haddock). This scientist is describing the world of color or lack of that these special creatures face. The light in this zone is usually red due to the fact that there is not a lot of light the plants absorb the blue and green and animal life then give off a red light. These creatures use thi... ... middle of paper ... ... Sylvia. Darlene Crist. Gail Scowdoft. James Harding. World Ocean Census. New York; Firefly Books Ltd. 2009. Print Haddock, S.H.D.; McDougall, C.M.; Case, J.F. “The Bioluminescence Web Page”, http://lifesci.ucsb.edu/~biolum/ Knowlton, Nancy. Citizens of the Sea, Wondrous Creatures from the Census of Marine Life. Washington DC: National Geographic Society, 2006. Print. McInnis, Joseph. James Cameron’s Aliens of the Deep. Washington DC. National Geographic Society. 2003. Print. Wilson, Tracy. “How Bioluminescence Works” 10 July, 2007. HowStuffWorks.com, http://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/all-about-animals/bioluminescece.htmz12January2014. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. "Bioluminescence Imaging Used For Eye Cancer Detection." Science Daily. Science Daily, 14 October 2009. .
Enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was originally isolated from a bioluminescent jellyfish called Aequorea victoria. As suggested by the name, this protein fluoresces green when exposed to light in the ultraviolet range. The ultimate goal of the following experiment was to successfully create a pET41a(+)/EGFP recombinant plasmid that was transformed into live E. coli cells. The success of this transformation could be evaluated based on whether EGFP’s fluorescence properties were displayed by the colony in question. The protein’s fluorescence properties “triggered the widespread and growing use of GFP as a reporter for gene expression and protein localization in a broad variety of organisms” (Ormo, et. al., 1996). Although EGFP and GFP differ for a few amino acids that make EGFP’s fluorescence mildly stronger, the basic principle that such a protein allows for the evaluation of transformation success remains intact.
In this entertaining, search into global fish hatcheries, New York Times writer Paul Greenberg investigates our historical connection with the ever changing ocean and the wild fish within it. In the beginning of the book Paul is telling his childhood fishing stories to his friends, that night Paul discovers that that four fish dominate the world’s seafood markets in which are salmon, tuna, cod, and bass. He tries to figure out why this is and the only logical answer he could come up with is that four epochal shifts caused theses wild fish population to diminish. History shows that four epochal shifts happen within fifteen years causing certain fish species populations to diminish. He discovers for each of the four fish why this happened to
Although there are many organisms that live in the deepest part of the ocean, the lantern fish is one with many adaptations. Being amazingly adapted creatures, lantern fish have extremely small organs that are called photophores that shine light. The ligh...
Phipps, M (2006). Intertidal Marine Invertebrates of the South Puget Sound. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from Aeolidia papillosa The Sea Mouse Web site: http://www.nwmarinelife.com/htmlswimmers/a_papillosa.html, (Phipps,Telnack, 2006)
Many living organisms in nature display fluorescent pigments. More than 180 different species of fluorescent fishes have been identified. The red fluorescence of ruby is caused by trivalent chromium, Divalent manganese accounts for the red or orange fluorescence in calcite and also for the green fluorescence of willemite. Natural aurora is another effect of fluorescence. The molecules and ions that are formed in high-altitude nuclear explosions and rocket-borne electron gun experiments, have a fluorescent response to light.
Jellyfish are an oviparous species, meaning that are able to lay eggs rather than having to carry their young. Because they lay podocysts in the sediment, a jellyfish’s’ environmental perception is key to the lineage in species of jellyfish due to survival through natural selection. The jellyfish species central nervous system ability for common perception of their environment is the essence of its existence. If the jellyfish does not correctly utilize its perceptions of its habitat its offspring may not survive. It may seem trivial; however, perception of different spectrums and magnitudes of light, temperature, salinity of the water, and wind allow the jellyfish to select ideal environments for their offspring. Podocysts are the cause of jellyfish bloom or non-bloom years the situations of the locations in which the podocysts are laid determine the success of an offspring of jellyfish. A study showed a significant difference in two environment conditions; very rare in well-aerated seawater at constant temperature and a setting with exposure to abnormally high temperatures low salinities, and burial in organic-rich mud. The extremities of higher temperatures and lower salinities were the ultimately the cause of massive blooms of the Nemopilema nomurai jellyfish (Kawahara et al.
Their eyes track the movement of objects through something called an Optokinetic Pursuit system (Sandeman and Atwood 1982). This is a type of reflex that allows the organism to translate other animals’ movement through a series of controllable stimuli, also allowing it to determine what direction those animals are going in as well as how fast (Sandeman and Atwood 1982). This way, they can move around in the dark and take advantage of the fact that their predators, which include many species of fish and Gray whales, cannot actually see in the dark and prevent themselves from being
Aquariums are a great place to learn about the ocean and its habitats. From the bottom of the food webs to the preservations of the environments within, aquariums give people of all ages a hands-on experience and first-look at the mysteries of the ocean. Both the coral reef and the deep sea, though not well known among the general public, is presented in a way that sparks interest, showing the biodiversity in the waters below.
The deep sea is one of the most hostile environments in the world, which a living organism is subjected to. As you progress from the surface (the epipelagic zone) through to the abyssopelagic zone near the basin of the ocean; the environmental characteristics begin to alter dramatically. Light, pressure, oxygen, temperature and food are abiotic factors that have all led to the fascinating adaptations of deep sea life. Pressure alone increases by 1 atmosphere for each 10m in depth which is an astonishing rate. The deep sea temperature remains between 2-4°c, which is just another factor inhabitants must overcome in order to survive, along with a reduced quantity and accessibility of essential factor’s like ;oxygen, food and light[3].
Hendler, G. L., M. P. Kier, J. E. Miller, and D. L. Pawson. Class Ophiuroidea, pages 89-195 in Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, and Allies. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. 1995.
Deep sea is the largest ecosystem on Earth and it exhibited a large diversity of life forms that appeared to be bizarre and curious to both general and scientific communities. The sediment samples obtained from deep seas were usually containing fecal pellets (released by animals lived in photic zone of ocean), foraminiferan tests, as well as organic matters.
Fungi make up an intriguing and esoteric kingdom; bioluminescent mushrooms offer a perfect example. Of the 71 glowing mushroom types, Armillaria mellea (honey mushrooms) comprise the most common North American variety. All species emit a green to blue light that differs
Second, some corals in New Caledonia were found fluorescing with vivid colors. This is in fact a chemical sunscreen they secrete in order to protect themselves from the heat they are experiencing. In a way, their brilliance can be a tool for people to notice them and their current situation or as what one scientist said in the film, it is an “incredible and beautiful face of death”.
Toufexis Anastasia, Andrea Dorfman, Eugene Linden, and Edwin M. Reingold. "The Dirty Seas Threatened by Rising Pollution, the Oceans Are Sending out an SOS." Time 132.5 (1988): 1-8. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.
“Light availability activities that increase erosion or stir up the bottom cloud the water and reduce light penetration.” The sun is a chief element to water, when the sun’s light reflects into water, it absorbs, supplements, and produces plants, living and non-living community underwater life. The light penetrated into the rivers or sea, it determines the life span of aquatic life. Light can penetrate transparent water better than murkier water, therefore providing more nutrients to the aquatic ecosystem allowing it to flourish. The murkier the water is the less supplements the community receives therefore an insufficient life span it crates.