Why do fireflies glow

The light-emitting organ of a firefly is located below the posterior end of the abdomen, where it has light-emitting cells. There are many tiny trachea around the light-emitting cells, and there are luciferin and luciferase in the light-emitting cells. Fluorescein is activated when it receives energy from ATP.

Catalyzed by luciferase, activated fluorescein reacts chemically with oxygen to form oxidized luciferin and emits fluorescence.

When I was a child, we often saw flickering lights on the side of the road and in the grass on summer evenings, and these lights were emitted by fireflies, so why do fireflies glow?

The physiological structure of fireflies is very special, the end of its abdomen is filled with many phosphorus-containing luminescent matter and luminescent enzymes, which will emit a faint light on the part of the firefly's abdomen. The bright light emitted by fireflies is mainly used to send signals, and fireflies are used in this way for courtship, vigilance, trapping, etc.

In the luminous part of the firefly, there is a phosphorus-containing luminescent substance and a catalytic enzyme. There are some pores on their luminaires, and when air enters through the pores, the luminescent matter will oxidize with oxygen through the catalysis of enzymes, and then it will emit light.

Why do fireflies emit light? Star Awareness Project

3. Why do glowing fireflies glow? What do fireflies rely on to shine?

In the suburbs in summer, fireflies twinkle and twinkle like little stars, why do fireflies shine?

This is because in the abdomen of both male and female fireflies, there is a luminous apparatus with light-emitting cells that can create communication links'Substance. Among them, there is a kind of luciferin, which can convert chemical energy into light energy when it is combined with energetic substances under the conditions of oxygen participation in the reaction and catalytic action of firefly enzymes. But these "cold light" because fireflies can control the oxygen to the light-emitting cells**, so that the oxygen of the light-emitting cells is in surplus and short, and the time difference between aerobic and anaerobic is very short, so the fireflies we see are often flashing and flashing.

Firefly luminescence principleFireflies have light-emitting cells and some cells that can reflect light, and light-emitting cells contain two special components: one is called luciferin and the other is called luciferase, these two chemicals convert chemical energy into light energy under aerobic conditions, so fireflies will emit light.

Fireflies glow for purposeThe light emitted by fireflies is not only for illumination, but also for signaling, and the signal light varies depending on the information and purpose. Different species of fireflies emit different flickering frequency, brightness, manner and color.

We can think of the flickering and brightness of fireflies as their language, and when fireflies need courtship, or when they encounter danger of warning and trapping, or when they need to communicate with their peers, they all communicate in this way.