How does a firefly flash?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
April 9, 2003
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5
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Fireflies are beetles belonging to the family Lampyridae [lam peer' i day]. There are an estimated one hundred fifty to one hundred eighty species in North America and up to nineteen hundred species worldwide. Not all firefly species are capable of bioluminescence.
In New World species, females generally cannot fly. A female climbs low vegetation and waits until a male of the same species passes by. If he displays the correct flashing sequence and she flashes an answer, he will land nearby and approach the female on foot.
Females lay their eggs in the soil. Larval fireflies (glowworms) are beneficial soil insects, the larvae are carnivorous feeding on slugs, snails, small earthworms, and beetle grubs. The life cycle of Photinus and Photuris species takes two years from egg to adult. The adult stage, the firefly, lasts only one to two months.
Fireflies are best known for their lanterns; the structure found on the underside tip of the abdomen. The lantern has the light-generating organ, an opaque reflector filled with uric acid crystals, tracheal tubes, and covered with a translucent cuticle. (Firefly Flash Communication Behavior, Trevor Nevins, Colorado State University, 1999)
The bioluminescent flash starts with firefly luciferin, chemically known as 4,5-dihydro-2-(6-hydroxy-2-benzothiazolyl)-4-thiazolecarboxylic acid. (Merck Index, 11th edition, 1989) The luciferin is activated by adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the presence of magnesium cations (Mg++) and the enzyme, luciferase. This forms a complex called adenylluciferin.
This molecule is oxidized (oxygen added) by the luciferase into adenyloxyluciferin [a den' il ox' ee lu sif' er in]. Adenyloxyluciferin is highly energetic and unstable. The energy is released as light as the molecule returns to its ground or stable state. ("Lightning Bugs", B. Gajendra Babu and M. Kannan, Resonance, Sept. 2002)
The firefly is thought to control the flashes of light by controlling the oxygen entering the lantern though the tracheal tubes.
Bugguide hosted by Iowa State University Entomology has an excellent webpage about the big dipper firefly, Photinus pyralis, one of the most common fireflies in North America. To view this page click on the link:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/63819
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5
Suggested Reading:
A tale of fireflies, monkeys, mangroves, bananas, and bats Renfield's Garden - November 28, 2001
Why is firefly courtship dangerous? Renfield's Garden - April 16, 2003
What is a Lethal-Male Delivery System? Renfield's Garden - March 3, 2004
Why were there no earthworms in Canada? Renfield's Garden - March 27, 2002
How does a marsh marigold glow? Renfield's Garden - April 24, 2002
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Wollemi Pine
National Geographic®
Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.
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Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
Click here to view canyon, trees and fossil record.
You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.
Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research.
Click here to get your Wollemi Pine and assist in the conservation effort.
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