Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: Bioluminiscence

Mains level: NA

bio

The blooms of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as “sea sparkle or bioluminescence” are being witnessed along the coasts of Visakhapatnam, AP.

Noctiluca Scintillans

Scintillans is a bioluminescent specie that brightens the seawater during the night.
It grazes on other micro-organisms such as larvae, fish eggs, and diatoms. But the unicellular phytoplankton that lives inside it can photosynthesize, turning sunlight into energy.
They help their host cell survive even when food was scarce.
Thus, N. Scintillans acts as both a plant and an animal

Threats posed

According to marine experts, the phenomenon is an indicator of climate change.
While smaller blooms may be harmless, slow-moving larger blooms may have an impact on deep-sea fishes.
The toxic blooms of N. Scintillans were linked to massive fish and marine invertebrate kills.
Though the species does not produce a toxin, it was found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into the surrounding waters, possibly acting as the killing agent in blooms.
They have displaced microscopic algae called diatoms, which form the basis of the marine food chain. This has deprived food for the planktivorous fish.

It is the property of a living organism to produce and emit light.
Animals, plants, fungi and bacteria show bioluminescence. A remarkable diversity of marine animals and microbes are able to produce their own light.
It is found in many marine organisms such as bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, crustaceans, sea stars, fish and sharks.
Luminescence is generally higher in deep-living and planktonic organisms than in shallow species.