Spooky Season: Bloody Belly Comb Jelly & Deep Sea Bioluminescence - Mod. 9
The ocean is home to the most extraneous creatures that we know of on this planet. From brightly colored, poisonous lionfish in the coral reefs, to ancient, practically immortal jellyfish in the open ocean, to large fanged creepy fish surviving in the harshest depths of the ocean floor, life seems to get stranger the further from the surface you look. One such deep-sea creature is the bloody belly comb jelly, of the class ctenophores (the cone jellies). To combat the lack of light this far down, bioluminescence is present in almost all deep-sea creatures and is used as a mechanism for communication, to lure prey, to attract mates, and defend against predators. The majority of bioluminescent animals glow blue due to the fact that blue wavelength light travels the furthest in water, this is the same phenomenon responsible for our observation of the ocean's blue color. If you have looked at the image below, though, the translucent bloody belly comb jelly lights up a brilliant shade of red. To us humans, this may seem disadvantageous as the flamboyant colors may attract predators, but the opposite is actually true. Due to the filtration of very long wavelengths of light, like red, through water, many deep-sea creatures have evolved specialized eyes that are only sensitive to the blue light put off by most bioluminescent creatures. Some of these blue-emitting fish fall prey to this translucent species of cone jelly, which poses a problem: the residual brightness from consumed prey is visible through their stomach, so how can it hide the light from predators? This is where the jelly's red color comes in. Because most deep-sea fish can only see blue light, many predators are rendered completely blind to the red light emitted by this jelly. Further, the jelly's prey species will also not be able to see the red color, giving the jelly a hunting advantage.
If you've read my "Glowstick Sharks" post, you may know that I am fascinated by both biofluorescence and bioluminescence. Bioluminescence is a widespread adaptation in numerous marine creatures that reside in deeper waters. This is a prime example of convergent evolution, where the trait has evolved independently in multiple different species, indicating its highly beneficial impacts as an adaptation. Overall, the mechanisms involved in bioluminescence form a complex web of interactions, driving many of the underlying processes involved in deep-sea life. Its evolutionary past and trajectory is a fascinating subject, and I hope to explore it even more in the future.
Happy Halloween! 👻
I loved the information you had give, It was nice to know that the wavelengths and the lights are showing into the fish. It was cool to know that the information you give was interesting how the lights work and are giving off the colors it does.
ReplyDelete