Bioluminescence is simply light produced by a chemical reaction which originates in an organism.
It can be expected anytime and in any region or depth in the sea.
Its most common occurrence to the sailor is in the often brilliantly
luminescent bow wave or wake of a surface ship. In these instances
the causal organisms are almost always dinoflagellates, single-cell
algae, often numbering many hundreds per liter. |
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Bioluminescence is a primarily marine phenomenon. It is the predominant
source of light in the largest fraction of the habitable volume
of the earth, the deep ocean . In contrast, bioluminescence is
essentially absent (with a few exceptions) in fresh water, even in Lake Baikal.
On land it is most commonly seen as glowing fungus on wood (called foxfire), or in the few families of luminous insects. (For firefly information, try here.)
Bioluminescence has evolved many times in many taxonomically distinct species in the sea as evidenced by the several distinct chemical mechanisms In these organisms in serves many functions, some of which have not yet been explored.
Bioluminescent bacteria occur nearly everywhere, and probably
most spectacularly as the rare "milky sea" phenomenon, particularly
in the Indian Ocean where mariners report steaming for hours through
a sea glowing with a soft white light as far as the eye can see.
Find out more about the basic properties of bioluminescence. |