Green Glittering often visible beneath the surface of tropical sea. Then why sea water can show color like that?.
The green glow was produced by sea fire worms to attract the opposite sex in mating rituals. The findings were based on the research scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, USA.
The results, published in Science Daily reveals that sea fire worms have the ability to produce bioluminescence light.
This ability was used to attract the opposite sex in mating season. Researchers of Marine biology Dimitri Deheyn and Michael Latz, reveals that worms also use light as a means of defense.
The Research that published in the latest Invertebrate Biology journal last week provides in-depth information about the functions of bioluminescence in fire worm. This result lead scientists closer to identifying the molecular basis of light phase.
"This is one step forward in understanding the biology of bioluminescence on fire worms. If we understand how to keep the lights remain stable in the long term, it will open up opportunities for the use of proteins or reaction in the biomedical, bioengineering, and others," said Deheyn.
Fire worms used in these studies, Odontosyllis phosphorea, is the bottom of the ocean inhabitants that live in shallow tropical and subtropical waters. During the breeding period in the summer, called swarming, female worms glow green mucus, before release of gametes or reproductive cells.
Bright light attracts the male worms which will release their gamet into the green light. Not only male worms, the human who happened to cross the waters was also fascinated with the light playing.
Experts trace the appearance of light in Southern California, the Caribbean, and Japan, which will culminate a day or two before each phase or when the moon is a quarter. Any sightings of light begins 30 to 40 minutes after sunset and lasts for 20 to 30 minutes.
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