Why do fireflies sparkle?

Every summer night, people can often see fireflies flying around in the bushes and by the river, appearing and disappearing. The green glow, up and down, fast and slow, flickering and fluttering, like stars falling from the sky. So why do fireflies glow?

Let's take a look.

Zoologists have discovered that the insect has a luminous apparatus on its tail that contains a substance called fluorescein. It is oxidized under the action of luciferase and emits fluorescence. The ratio of luciferin and luciferase is different, and the color of the luminescence is different

There are pale green and pale yellow, as well as orange-red and pale blue. The amount of oxygen entering the luminaire will cause the glow to vary in brightness.

Fireflies glow at night, do they glow during the day? Zoologists once did experiments in which fireflies emitted light in the dark.

At this time, a very thin beam of light shines on the eyes of the firefly, and in an instant, the small "light" of the firefly goes out. It can be seen that fireflies do not emit light during the day.

Why do fireflies emit light? In fact, this is a manifestation of their "conversation". Lauder, a zoologist at the University of Florida in the United States, discovered that male and female fireflies of the same species can communicate with each other by flashing light.

There is a kind of female firefly that will send a signal of "light and go out and go out" at very precise intervals, which is to tell the male firefly: "I am here." When the male firefly learns this signal, he will use a flash of "light off, light off".

I'm coming! And flew towards the female firefly. They use this "glittering language" to keep in touch until the male and female meet.

Isn't it cute to see fireflies here?

After mastering this communication method of fireflies, some scientists began to use electronic computers to imitate the response of fireflies to "talk" with this insect. Once successful, people can direct the fireflies' actions. It can be seen that the progress of science can bring us more surprises!

The silver candle autumn light cold painting screen, light Luo small fan fluttering fireflies. The night of the heavenly steps is as cool as water, lying down to watch the morning glory Vega. Reading Du Mu's "Autumn Evening" through the ages, we are reminded of the "flying lanterns" in the rice fields - fireflies when enjoying the cool in the countryside.

Why do fireflies shine and shine in a flash?

Fireflies are a very common animal, and the main reason why they can sparkle is because of their very special body composition.

Because under the epidermis are cells that can emit light, and under the light-emitting cells there are cells that can emit light, and some small particles of cells are called mitochondria, which emit energy and produce light during oxidation.

Because this animal has a relatively high level of phosphorus in its body, it shines when it is combined with air, and some of the light emitted can be very bright, and some are relatively not so bright.

Fireflies have specialized light-emitting cells, in which there are two classes of chemicals, one is called luciferin (in fireflies it is called firefly luciferin) and the other is called luciferase. Luciferin can consume ATP under the catalysis of luciferase and react with oxygen, which produces an excited state of oxidized luciferin, which releases photons when oxidized luciferin returns from the excited state to the ground state. Almost all of the energy released in the reaction is released in the form of light, and only a very small part is released in the form of heat, and the reaction efficiency is 95%, so the beetle will not overheat and burn.

The purpose of fireflies to emit light is that early scholars put forward hypotheses that they have the functions of courtship, communication, lighting, warning, display, and population regulation. But apart from courtship and communication, other functions are just the result of scientists' observations or just speculation. It is only in recent years that some scholars have verified the warning: in 1999, scholars Knight and others found that lizards that accidentally ate adult fireflies would die, confirming that the glow of adult insects has the function of warning other organisms in addition to finding mates; In 1997, scholars Underwood et al. conducted experiments on rats and confirmed that the luminescence of larvae has a warning effect on mice.

The luminescence behavior of fireflies at night, taking luciola cerata as an example, has been found to be mostly after sunset, when males begin to fly and light up on their habitats. Shortly after the male begins to move, the female begins to appear in the high places around the habitat (the female also emits light, but only one luminaire, and the male has two lumines), from 7 p.m. to about 11:30 p.m., hundreds of fireflies can be seen glowing in their habitat, but after about 11:30 p.m., the adult gradually stops emitting. And the frequency of the male worm's glow also varies, and not the frequency of the light is the same throughout the night.

Fireflies emit light because of their special physiology, and the end of the abdomen of the firefly body is filled with many phosphorus-containing luminescent substances and light-emitting enzymes. As a result, these phosphorus-containing luminescent substances and enzymes emit a faint glow on the firefly's abdomen, making it look like a small light bulb.

The reason why a firefly shines is because it has it in its body. There is a kind of mitochondria that can emit light through this type of thing.

The luminescence principle of fireflies is due to the presence of a phosphorus-containing luminescent substance and a catalytic enzyme in the part of its luminous device. Fireflies will have some pores on the luminaire, and after the air is introduced into the pores, the luminescent matter will be oxidized by the catalyst of enzymes and oxygen. And then through this mechanism, the light is emitted.

This is due to the light produced by a chemical in the firefly's body called insect luciferase that interacts with oxygen. This chemical, called insect luciferase, initiates this reaction like a switch.

Fireflies can sparkle, not because fireflies have the function of emitting light, but because fireflies have reflective substances in their bodies, which seem to be shiny.

Fireflies emit light because they contain firefly luciferin and luciferase in their bodies. Luciferin can react with oxygen under the catalysis of luciferase to produce light energy.

The light-emitting organ of the firefly has a phosphorus-containing luminescent substance, and has a small hole, when it breathes, the school worker opens it to have air, and the air enters and comes into contact with the phosphorus-containing luminescent substance.

The luminaire part of the firefly contains a phosphorus-containing luminescent substance and a catalyst. The enzymes have some pores on their luminescent devices, and when air enters through the trachea, they emit light to the point where they oxidize with oxygen through the catalysis of the enzymes, and then they emit light.

Fireflies have a luminous device on their tails, which contains a substance called fluorescein. It is oxidized under the action of luciferase and emits fluorescence. The ratio of luciferin and luciferase is different, and the color of the luminescence is different

Fireflies can emit light, which is related to the structure of their biological organism, and it looks amazing and unique.

Because there are luminaires at the end of the abdomen of adult fireflies, the luminaires of males are two segments and females are one. The luminaire is filled with a lot of phosphorus-containing luminescent matter and luminescent enzymes, and there is a luminescent layer and a reflective layer under the transparent ** of the luminaire, which is covered with mesh-like trachea and nerves.

The light-emitting layer is yellowish-white, a protein called luciferin, and when fireflies breathe, this luciferin is oxidized with the inhaled to form luciferase, so their tails will flash and glow.

Because twinkle and twinkle.

Because fireflies have a special mechanism, a way of consuming energy.

The light of fireflies varies from yellow-green to orange-red. The part where they glow is in the last two segments of the abdomen.

These two stanzas are grayish and white during the day and shine at night. The light is emitted through the transparent epidermis. Underneath the epidermis are some cells that emit light.

Underneath the light-emitting cells are others that emit light. Cells, which are filled with small particles, are called mitochondria. Mitochondria oxidize the nutrients absorbed by the body to synthesize a substance that contains energy.

Luminescent cells also contain two special components: one called luciferin and the other called luciferase. Luciferin is combined with energy-containing substances, and when oxygen is present, it is catalyzed by luciferase to convert chemical energy into light energy, thus producing light.

Fireflies often twinkle and glow because they control the amount of oxygen to the glowing cells**.