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Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. [1] Bioluminescence occurs in diverse organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates , as well as in some fungi , microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria , dinoflagellates and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies .
This light organ is even brighter and can only be seen when in flight. Bioluminescent click beetles are found throughout tropical, subtropical and temperate America. Species from Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and Cuba are now in different genera in the tribe Pyrophorini, such as Deilelater and Ignelater. [2]
These beetles are among the brightest bioluminescent insects. [1] With a brightness of around 45 millilamberts, [2] they are said to be technically bright enough to read by. [3] They achieve their luminescence by means of two light organs at the posterior corners of the prothorax, and a broad area on the underside of the first abdominal segment.
Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent dinoflagellate. Bioluminescence is the production of light by living organisms. This list of bioluminescent organisms is organized by the environment, covering terrestrial, marine, and microorganisms.
Bioluminescent bacteria are light-producing bacteria that are predominantly present in sea water, marine sediments, the surface of decomposing fish and in the gut of marine animals. While not as common, bacterial bioluminescence is also found in terrestrial and freshwater bacteria. [ 1 ]
All bioluminescent fungi share the same enzymatic mechanism, suggesting that there is a bioluminescent pathway that arose early in the evolution of the mushroom-forming Agaricales. [5] All known luminescent species are white rot fungi capable of breaking down lignin, found in abundance in wood.
Foxfire, also called fairy fire and chimpanzee fire, [1] is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with a luciferin. The phenomenon has been known since ancient times, with its source determined in 1823.
This last phenomenon is due to the fact that for species containing chlorophyll (such as the green genus for Noctiluca scintillans), the mechanism of bioluminescence is a little different and depends on the chlorophyll a molecule. Bioluminescence is therefore influenced by cell sensitivity to stimulation, specific response, time, physiology and ...