Comments on: Ocean bacteria glow to turn themselves into bait http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/26/ocean-bacteria-glow-to-turn-themselves-into-bait/ Mon, 26 Nov 2012 12:00:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: WBenson http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/26/ocean-bacteria-glow-to-turn-themselves-into-bait/#comment-13879 WBenson Thu, 29 Dec 2011 01:43:28 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6073#comment-13879 It is a good idea to consider alternative hypotheses. Bioluminescence in planctonic micro-organisms could have other advantages. Light emission when disturbed by filtering zooplankton or gut luminescence, as you show, can reveal filter feeders to their own predators. If water is calm, bioluminescent micro-organisms, even if they are eaten and die, may save relatives floating nearby with the same genes if the zooplankters are found and consumed by fish before they can become common. This has been called the "burgler alarm" effect. Dinoflagelates produce flashes of light when they are disturbed. The Lima "gliding over the clouds" suggests that the seas were calm. I have not read Zarubin's paper, but nothing said would suggest that one hypothesis is better than the other. It is a good idea to consider alternative hypotheses. Bioluminescence in planctonic micro-organisms could have other advantages. Light emission when disturbed by filtering zooplankton or gut luminescence, as you show, can reveal filter feeders to their own predators. If water is calm, bioluminescent micro-organisms, even if they are eaten and die, may save relatives floating nearby with the same genes if the zooplankters are found and consumed by fish before they can become common. This has been called the “burgler alarm” effect. Dinoflagelates produce flashes of light when they are disturbed. The Lima “gliding over the clouds” suggests that the seas were calm. I have not read Zarubin’s paper, but nothing said would suggest that one hypothesis is better than the other.

]]> By: Trond Engen http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/12/26/ocean-bacteria-glow-to-turn-themselves-into-bait/#comment-13878 Trond Engen Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:04:20 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/?p=6073#comment-13878 Trying to find out how this type of bioluminescense differed from <a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/glowingalgae/" rel="nofollow">common sea sparkle</a>, I followed another link from <a href="http://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morild" rel="nofollow">Danish Wikipedia's article on <i>morild</i></a> (<i>sea sparkle</i>), and found that Miller's discovery was <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg18825195.600" rel="nofollow">referred in Science</a>. (I think you mean 2005, by the way. That Science article is dated October 2005, and the BBC article you link to September 2005.) Is it known if the bacterial sort of sea sparkle is a local phenomenon near the coast of Somalia, or does it occur anywhere in the Indian Ocean, or anywhere in tropical waters? And if we're in search of a word, I'll bet there are names for it in the languages of fishermen and seafarers -- Arabic, Somali, Soqotri, Seychellois Creole, ... Trying to find out how this type of bioluminescense differed from common sea sparkle, I followed another link from Danish Wikipedia’s article on morild (sea sparkle), and found that Miller’s discovery was referred in Science. (I think you mean 2005, by the way. That Science article is dated October 2005, and the BBC article you link to September 2005.)

Is it known if the bacterial sort of sea sparkle is a local phenomenon near the coast of Somalia, or does it occur anywhere in the Indian Ocean, or anywhere in tropical waters?

And if we’re in search of a word, I’ll bet there are names for it in the languages of fishermen and seafarers — Arabic, Somali, Soqotri, Seychellois Creole, …

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