The Chemistry of Fireflies

The Chemistry of Fireflies

Fireflies and Glowworms

• Fireflies are a type of beetle
• Females commonly do not have wings
• They produce a greenish-yellow to reddish-orange light
• The light is used to warn predators of defensive steroids they produce, and to attract females of their species through unique flashing patterns

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1501573/chinese-tourists-smash-tourist-office-after-bugs-fail-appear-fireflies?page=all

https://lnt.org/blog/search-fireflies-part-ii

by Hannah Varney

Sources

Fireflies and Glowworms Cont.

• There are over 2,000 species of fireflies
• Larvae and wingless females are called glowworms
• Fireflies in the Western United States cannot produce light
• Harvesting fireflies for medical research, light pollution and habitat destruction are leading to a decline in firefly population

Branham, M. A. (2005, December). How and why do fireflies light up? Scientific American, 293(6), 128. Retrieved from MAS Ultra - School Edition database.

Day, J. C. (2010-2014). Bioluminescence of fireflies and glowworms. Retrieved March 29, 2015, from Fireflies and glowworms website: http://www.firefliesandglow-worms.co.uk/bioluminescence.html

Firefly. (2014). In Columbia electronic encyclopedia (6th ed.). Retrieved from Middle Search Plus database. (Accession No. 39006455)

How do fireflies light up? (2001, January 19). Retrieved March 5, 2015, from howstuffworks.com website: http://animals.howstuffworks.com/insects/question554.htm

Zielinski, S. (2012, June 27). 14 fun facts about fireflies. Retrieved March 27, 2015, from Smithsonian.com website: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-fireflies-142999290/?no-ist

http://twistedsifter.com/2012/05/long-exposures-of-mating-fireflies-at-night/

Chemistry

http://www.firefly.org/firefly-pictures.html#

How do fireflies glow?

Research

• oxygen combines with calcium, ATP, luciferin pigments in the presence of the enzyme luciferase
• oxygen in stored in the mitochondria until the brain signals release of nitric oxide, which takes its place
• light production ends when nitric oxide is broken down and oxygen returns to mitochondria

• luciferase in useful in scientific research, food safety testing, and forensic tests
• detects levels of ATP in cells
• synthetic luciferase is now available for research
• ATP as a prerequisite is unique to fireflies, makes it important to biotechnological and medical research
• firefly luciferase is pH sensitive, light shine red in acid

Bioluminescence

https://thekarbancycle.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/the-future-looks-bright/

Chemistry Cont.

• "the direct production of light from a chemical reaction occurring within a living organism"
• luminescence, biofluorescence, chemiluminescence, fluorescence, phosphorescence
• "cold light" is the most efficient in the world, nearly 100% is emitted as light

• oxygen converts luciferin to oxyluciferin, catalyzed by luciferase
• luciferin in converted to luciferyl adenylate by ATP in presence of Mg ions
• luciferyl adenylate is oxidized by oxygen, resulting in the emission of light and production of oxyluciferin

http://rpsec.usca.edu/Classwork/729TSp98/Sanders.html

http://www.photobiology.info/Branchini2.html

Anatomy

http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/uric-acid/uricc.htm

• Insects don't have lungs
• oxygen reaches a light organ through smaller tubes called tracheoles or abdominal trachea
• light organs are on the underside of the abdomen
• made of several layers of small reflector cells containing uric acid crystals, and 1 layer of light producing cells

http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/invertebrates/firefly.aspx

//kirbyandfriends.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/firefly-luminescence.jpg