Stars At War: Bioluminescent Bugs

By -
Click here to watch a video on Fireflies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFOmPQWw4Io
“A not-so-long time ago, in a sky not-too-far away, the stars were at war with each other, shooting across the firmament, colliding with, hurtling at, and orbiting around one another in a full-fledged fire fight...” Well, that’s how I imagined it in my 9-year-old mind as I surveyed my lightening bug-lit backyard on many a mid-summer’s evenings. Although these tiny insects are slightly less cosmic and otherworldly than I imagined as a child, even a quick glance at the images below instills the aura of extra-terrestrial life forms—what do these all share in common?  Bioluminescence. A phenomenon that surprisingly exists in a variety of organisms of many different taxa on this planet. 

     Within insects, there are two main forms of bioluminescence, the process of a living organism producing light (as sub-form of chemiluminescence—light emission as a results of chemical reactions). This light may be autogenic, originating from the organisms’ tissue itself, as is the case in the firefly landscape seen in the opening picture, or it may be bacteriogenic—emitted by symbiotic bioluminescent organisms that make their home within the species, such the bacteria Vibrio, as is the case in the last two pictures. Seen side-by-side in the light and dark, this little creature may resemble a Star Wars character such as an ewok or jawa, but she too is actually a bioluminescent bug. The glowing cockroach, from the family Blaberidae, has a mutualistic relationship with the bioluminescent bacteria that live inside of her, as she mimicks the autogenic two light organs of the bioluminescent click beetle of an entire different insect order, Coeleoptera, who is actually toxic [picture 2]. This is a classic example of Bastesian mimicry ( Vršanský et. al, 2012).
Insects utilize bioluminescence for a variety of reasons.  For fireflies, from the family Lampyridae, their flashing, bioluminescent butts serve as an attraction signal for organisms of the other sex during times of mating. Though aiding in reproduction, this easy-identification contributes to the predation of the species. However, in the case of the glowing click beetle, and its mimickers, the goal of their controlled starry light serves as a warning signal to predators of their unpalatability. Still other insects may  even utilize their light as a luring bait for their prey. 
Toxic Click Beetle with light "organs" on its head 

Click to watch video on railroad caterpillars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=ebuSeK7Y7F8
     The railroad “caterpillar” larvae is not, as the name suggests,  the a precursor to a butterfly species, but rather, is the larval form of the adult female beetle from the family Phengodidae, and is  characterized by two varying  colors of bioluminescence, also serving as a warning sign to predators of their toxicity (Branham, 2005).

Insects utilize bioluminescence for a variety of reasons.  For fireflies, from the family Lampyridae, their flashing, bioluminescent butts serve as an attraction signal for organisms of the other sex during times of mating. Though aiding in reproduction, this easy-identification contributes to the predation of the species.  However, in the case of the glowing click beetle, and its mimickers, the goal of their starry light serves as a warning signal to predators of their unpalatability. Still others mimic the patterns of truly toxic insects, while others even use their light as a luring bait for their prey. 
So, how exactly do these tiny creatures emit such a powerful light? Well, the chemical reaction that takes place is due to the enzyme luciferase, which acts upon its substrate luciferin--in addition to power from ATP molecules, magnesium ions, and the presence of oxygen molecules, to produce a chemical reaction that emits energy in the form of light (Callaway, 2013). Obtaining light is foundational to the life of innumerable organisms on this planet, but as it seems for these bioluminescent bugs, producing it is just as important for their survival. 
Resources:

  • Branham, Marc. 2005. "EENY332/IN609: Glow-Worms, Railroad-Worms (Insecta: Coleoptera: Phengodidae)". edis.ifas.ufl.edu. University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved 2016-10-11.
  • Callaway, E. 2013. Glowing plants spark debate. Nature, 498:15–16, 04 June 2013.
  • Mott, Nicholas. “Glowing Cockroach Mimics Toxic Beetle.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 30 Aug. 2012, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120830-glowing-cockroaches-bugs-science-animals/
  • ^ Vršanský, P.; Chorvát, D. A.; Fritzsche, I.; Hain, M.; Ševčík, R. (2012). "Light-mimicking cockroaches indicate Tertiary origin of recent terrestrial luminescence". Naturwissenschaften. 99 (9): 739–749. Bibcode:2012NW.....99..739V. doi:10.1007/s00114-012-0956-7. PMID 22864963.


 Images:
http://m.extbg.cas.cn/education/201304/t20130422_101180.html
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/08/120830-glowing-cockroaches-bugs-science-animals/
https://www.firefly.org/bioluminescent-insects.html






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mimicry: Being Masters of Disguise

By Anonymous -
Image
By: Cassidy Herbster, Cari Marota and Malik Mason  First to explain mimicry, it is copying another insect or inanimate object to aid in avoidance of predators and/or catching prey. There are two types of mimicry: batesian and mullerian. Batesian refers to when only the insect who is mimicking benefits while mullerian is when both the model and mimicking insect benefits. Most common way is with coloring. The colors of the bad tasting, venomous, or vicious insect is copied by a different insect to avoid being eaten by a predator, though the copy cat doesn't actually have that defense, it just appears so.  They also use coloring to blend in to catch prey or avoid being prey.  The insect being mimicked is called the model. Insects will not always only mimic other insects, but creatures such as arachnids or reptiles. Mimicry might not be for the whole lifetime of the insect. For example, the larvae of an insect could mimic a predator but grow up and not use mimicry as su...
Read more

Bear Lake Bog

By Anonymous -
Image
            A picture of a wetland bog from the Northern Hemisphere Source: https://infograph.venngage.com/p/176597/bog-biome               From lakeside dunes to old-growth white pine forests, Michigan is enriched with unique ecosystems. Although many of which have been claimed by society for agricultural and suburban means, portions of conserved land have been reserved for public recreation and admiration of wilderness. Wetland bogs are microcosms that serve as host to many unique organisms. While they used to be much more prevalent in the United States, they are still an important ecosystem in the US. This blog will expound on our class’s excursion to a bog named Bear Lake Bog.             Bear Lake Bog is located about six miles south of Au Sable campus and is found between the East Lakes and Bear Lake. We visited this bog on May 22, 2018. We broug...
Read more

Honey Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder

By -
Image
            Beginning in the winter of 2006 to 2007, beekeepers began to notice a significant decline in losses of their hives, as high as 30 to 90 percent for no apparent reason ( Kaplan, 2012 ). The population of honeybees continues to decline today. The disappearance of these honey bees is now known as the colony collapse disorder (or CCD). This is concerning because honeybees play an important role in the pollination of plants, especially for agriculture but the loss of honeybees doesn’t stop there. The honey that honeybees make has significant medicinal properties. Honey provides antioxidants, relief to colds, and when applied to scrapes or wounds, it aids the healing process with its natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties ( Shock, 2015 ). It promotes digestion. The loss of honeybees is not only a threat to biodiversity but the health of plants and people. Colony losses of managed ...
Read more