Tag: bioluminescence
Bioluminescence in the Gippsland Lakes
Noctiluca scintillans doing what it does best in the Gippsland Lakes, a small chain of inland lakes in Victoria, Australia.
The events that transpired to make this happen are quite miraculous; firstly there was widespread fires in Victoria that burned pretty intensely for quite some time. Then, they were followed by intense flooding that inundated many areas of Gippsland amongst others. The basic effect was that floodwaters carried nutrient-rich soil and ash from the higher reaches into the Gippsland basin, leading to a eutrophic condition in which algae and bacteria can thrive.
This gave rise to a particularly prolific cyanobacteria getting a foothold, Synechococcus. Essentiallysmothering the lake in cellular life, it gave an opportunity for some pretty special creatures to breed prolifically given an abundant food source – Noctiluca scintillans, a bioluminescent Dinoflagellate.
And so, you end up with photographs like this. A once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, captured for all to share.
Photo source: http://philhart.com/content/bioluminescence-gippsland-lakes
Seeing this in person is one of the best experiences I’ve had since I moved.
Biofluorescence in the Swellshark
(source)
@setepenre-set ooo M’ega critter?
(they apparently do the bioflourescence to find each other for mating)
The Weeping Stones
Photographed off the coast of Okayama, Japan, The Weeping Stones is a photo series by the creative duo Trevor Williams and Jonathan Galione of Tdub Photo that captures the eerie blue light emitted by a native species of bioluminescent shrimp. More commonly referred to as sea fireflies, these rare creatures live in the sand in shallow sea water, floating somewhere between the extremes of high and low tide. At just 3 mm in length the shrimp are extremely small light sources, but when grouped together they take on abstract patterns that light up the water around them.
Images and text via
setepenre-set 