Also: glowing animals, deep-sea light, living light, dinoflagellates, glowing waves, glowing mushrooms, foxfire
Bioluminescence, light made by living things, has evolved many times, from bacteria to fish. Most animals in the open ocean can make light, and on land it is found in fireflies and glowing fungi.
Only what the cited papers report.
Values as stated in the cited paper's abstract.
| Property | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Share of observed deep-sea individuals able to glow | 76% | Martini 2017 |
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Valiadi and Iglesias-Rodriguez reviewed bioluminescent dinoflagellates, single-celled algae whose bioluminescent species appear to be found in surface waters worldwide.
As reported in: Valiadi, Iglesias-Rodriguez (2013). Understanding Bioluminescence in Dinoflagellates—How Far Have We Come?. Microorganisms. doi:10.3390/microorganisms1010003
Martini and Haddock classified more than 350,000 deep-sea video observations off California, from the surface to 3,900 m, and found 76% of observed individuals were capable of bioluminescence, including more than 97% of cnidarians.
As reported in: Martini, Haddock (2017). Quantification of bioluminescence from the surface to the deep sea demonstrates its predominance as an ecological trait. Scientific Reports. doi:10.1038/srep45750
Haddock, Moline and Case reviewed how bioluminescence evolved many times across ocean life and is used for functions from defence to reproduction.
As reported in: Haddock, Moline, Case (2010). Bioluminescence in the Sea. Annual Review of Marine Science. doi:10.1146/annurev-marine-120308-081028
Fraga reviewed the history and recent developments in understanding firefly luminescence.
As reported in: Fraga (2008). Firefly luminescence: A historical perspective and recent developments. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences. doi:10.1039/b719181b
Abstract only
Purtov and colleagues identified 3-hydroxyhispidin as the luciferin of glowing fungi, unlike any of the eight other known luciferins, and found it triggers light in four different genera of luminous fungi.
As reported in: Purtov, Petushkov, Baranov et al. (2015). The Chemical Basis of Fungal Bioluminescence. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. doi:10.1002/anie.201501779
Abstract only
Kaskova and colleagues reported the structure of the light-emitting molecule in fungal bioluminescence and proposed the chemical steps that produce it.
As reported in: Kaskova, Dörr, Petushkov et al. (2017). Mechanism and color modulation of fungal bioluminescence. Science Advances. doi:10.1126/sciadv.1602847
Kotlobay and colleagues identified the fungal luciferase and the enzymes that make the fungal luciferin from caffeic acid, and found fungal bioluminescence evolved through events including two gene duplications.
As reported in: Kotlobay, Sarkisyan, Mokrushina et al. (2018). Genetically encodable bioluminescent system from fungi. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.1803615115