|
Dr Michael I Latz
Research Biologist, Senior Lecturer
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0202 USA
Phone: 858 534 6579 Fax: 858 534 7313 Email: mlatz@ucsd.edu
Street Address: 8750 Biological Grade, 1160 Hubbs Hall, La Jolla, CA 92037 USA
Web address http://siobiolum.ucsd.edu
Research interests include flow sensing and signal transduction in phytoplankton; physiological ecology of midwater animals; bioluminescence as a tool in ecotoxicology ; and ecology of bioluminescence in the ocean.
Under the cover of darkness, zooplankton (such as the copepod depicted here) feed on phytoplankton, including dinoflagellates. However, when attacked, luminescent dinoflagellates produce a flash of light that is seen by secondary predators, such as fish, that are eager to prey on the copepod. The threat of predation to the copepod acts as a deterrent to limit its feeding on the dinoflagellate. Thus the dinoflagellate bioluminescence acts as a "burglar alarm" to dissuade the copepod (burglar) from attacking it because of the threat of being eaten by the fish (police).
Illustration: Tracy Sabin - Scripps Institution of Oceanography Explorations.
|
