Bioluminescence is of interest to me and I thoroughly enjoyed the research. It is the only way some animals see. It may be effective for finding mates, prey, defense, decoy, distraction, to eliminate an enemy by drawing attention to the attacker through a light based attack and other methods. This life is created by animals. It is done through a variety of methods. Some animals consume other animals and much in the way of conveying toxins obtained through diet, they may also emit a bioluminescence from bioluminescent food which may be bacteria. Other animals, release bioluminescent because they are going through a complex chemical reaction. Bacteria use the chemicals Luciferin, Aldehyde and Luciferase. Dinoflagellates and Cypridina use Luciferin and Luciferase. Coelenterazine uses Luciferin and Luciferase Photoprotien. There are some creatures such as some polychaets, bivalves, hemichordates and other creatures that create it using Luciferin, Luciferase Photoprotien and a couple of unknown elements. We are still learning about this fascinating world.
Dragonfishes are Stomiiformes and this Order has other bioluminescent members. Myctophids, or lanternfishes are the primary diet of dragonfish and they are luminescent. They are very diverse with specialized diets. Among species, the Pachystomias and Aristostomias consume fish, while the large toothed Malacosteus, who does not have many gill-rakers and it does not keep the floor to its mouth eats copepods. It has had the occasional large fish however. Females are larger than males. Different species have different diets to limit dietary competing between species. Dragonfish create light using photophores. They are found in many places throughout the world including Antarctica
Many fish see using a variety of pigments in deep sea but here, I will briefly discuss the amazing adaption of the beautiful loose jawed dragonfish. In the 1990s, Ron Douglas of City University London discovered that dragonfish could see red. In addition to its fantastic bioluminescent display, this mysterious denizen of the deep possesses a unique ability to see in the near-dark of the depths of its home.. Malacosteus niger or the Deep-Sea Dragon Fish, Aristostomias and Pachystomias microdon all display bioluminescence. These fish are related. They can emit a blue bioluminescence and on occasion red. They can use chlorophyll to actually see. Mesopelagic copepods are a primary portion of the diets of Malacosteus and could be responsible for the pigment. Aristostomias and Pachystomias see well because they have three visual pigments to see in the darkness which is lit by residual sunlight that makes it down and bioluminescence. It may now be used to administer ot the eyes or as a pill and give the human user nightvision. This could be valuable for military use.
I was so fascinated by bioluminescence that I then went down to our local aquarium. I saw they had several well-lit varieties of sea creatures. From my time at the aquarium in San Francisco, I recognized many were not as healthy as others. There were smaller versions than what was at the aquarium. As they were younger. This aquarium had Glofish, which I had seen online during my search and had an interest in. They are a fish which are genetically modified to display bioluminescence. They were originally developed by scientists to detect contaminants in water. They are now offered as a pet fish. The brighter light given to them, the more glow they admit. You can see glowing bioluminescence among insects, fish, marine animals and more.
Dragon fish see using chlorophyll. Scientific Correspondence. Nature 393, 423-424 (4 June 1998) | doi:10.1038/30871 Authors: R. H. Douglas1, J. C. Partridge2, K. Dulai3, D. Hunt3, C. W. Mullineaux4, A. Y. Tauber5 & P. H. Hynninen5
Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci. 2010. 2:443–93 . Bioluminescence in the Sea Steven H.D. Haddock,1 Mark A. Moline,2 and James F. Case http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081028
Diet of two Antarctic dragonfish (Pisces: Bathydraconidae) from the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean. Evgeny A. Pakhomov Antarctic Science. / Volume 10 / Issue 01 / March 1998, pp 55-61. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S095410209800008X (About DOI), Published online: 07 May 2004
No comments:
Post a Comment