Why Glow-Worms Need to Glow - from a South African Perspective

Author : Andrew Smit
Bioluminescence is another term for glowing. Various bacteria, plankton, fungi, jellyfishes and insects can luminesce. It is a mystery why bacteria and fungi luminesce. Many deep-sea fish harness luminescent bacteria. They use the light for flashing signals to mates of finding prey in the dark. Many plankton flash light when they are disturbed, turning the sea bright at night. It is thought that plankton luminesce to help warn off predators.Hot summer nights in America are famous for the light show every bit as exciting as the illuminations of Las Vegas - fireflies bursting with flashes of light to advertise for a mate. But far less clear is why the larvae of the fireflies also glow - after all, they can not have sex. These creatures live under leaf-litter by day and sit on top of the ground at night, rippling with slow bursts of light as they slither around, earning them the nickname 'glow-worms'. Now it has been discovered that the glow-worms use their glow to frighten off predators, warning them that they are armed with a toxic chemical which leaves a very nasty taste in the predators mouth.The secrets of the glow-worms glow were unlocked by David Tallamy and Todd Underwood at the University of Delaware. They gave hungry mice a choice of glow-worms and mealworms. The mice tucked into the mealworms but rejected the glow-worms. Even when their glow organs were remove the mice still avoided the glow-worm, showing the pungency of the larval toxin. Further tests showed that the mice quickly grew scared of glowing food by avoiding morsels of crispy rice cereal equipped with artificial lights. This is the first evidence that an insect uses glow to warn off its enemies, in the same way that butterflies or wasps use bright colours. It makes perfect sense, of course, because the glow-worms flashing shines like a beacon in the dark, warning predators to stay away. A glowing testament to bioluminescencehttp://www.turtleherbestate.co.za where you will find Global solutions and ideas.
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Keyword : glow worm,sectrets of the glow worm,defense of the glow worm,animal defense,insect defense,fire fly