Summary
Investigates bioluminescence — the ability of some organisms to produce their own light through chemical reactions — and explores why so many deep-sea and night-active creatures have evolved this trait.
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All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What is bioluminescence? How is it different from reflected light?
- Why is bioluminescence especially common in deep-sea creatures?
- Name two ways an organism might use bioluminescence to survive.
- How is a firefly's bioluminescence different from a flashlight's light? What do they have in common?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: bioluminescence, chemical reaction, deep sea, adapt, predator, attract.
Try it: Research one bioluminescent organism (anglerfish, firefly, sea jelly, ostracod). Draw it and explain: (1) how it produces light, and (2) how that light helps it survive.