Many marine organisms are known to have fluorescence, from corals to fish, and some species secrete various types of mucous in different amounts. So, I want to know if this has any effect on the process of absorption and reflection of light.
Are you asking about fluorescence or are you actually referring to bioluminescence? In an organism I have worked with, a small pelagic tunicate, Oikopleura dioica, the animal itself is bioluminescent and so is the complex mucus house that it secretes. The mucus did not in any way seem to diminish the bioluminescent light it was producing, and may have even enhanced it a bit. Now, obviously, bioluminescence is visible with the naked eye, whereas fluorescence is not. We did not explore whether fluorescence was part of the equation with regards to its mucus production, which is rather copious and ongoing throughout its 9-day life cycle.
Yes, the secreted mucus of marine organisms can affect their fluorescence in various ways. The mucus, often containing proteins, polysaccharides, and other biomolecules, can either enhance or inhibit the fluorescence of the organisms for the following reasons:
These effects vary across species, depending on the specific composition and thickness of the mucus, as well as the environmental conditions, such as light availability and water quality.
That does indeed seem to be the case, altho' we were not actually examining the effects of the mucus on florescence. The amount of the mucus produced and what it contains would certainly have an effect on fluorescence as Dr. Mitra described. It really will depend on the species in question and what environmental conditions it is living under.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Entomology
- Resistance