Bioluminescence of sound-scattering layers in the Gulf of Maine
Submersible-based investigations of bioluminescence were conducted in sound-scattering layers (SSLs) in the Gulf of Maine, using intensified video and dual-beam acoustic methods. Stimulated bioluminescence in the SSLs was high (3–41 μW sr−1 m−3 while spontaneous bioluminescence was not detected. The...
| Published in: | Journal of Plankton Research |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
1992
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://plankt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/14/11/1607 https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/14.11.1607 |
| Summary: | Submersible-based investigations of bioluminescence were conducted in sound-scattering layers (SSLs) in the Gulf of Maine, using intensified video and dual-beam acoustic methods. Stimulated bioluminescence in the SSLs was high (3–41 μW sr−1 m−3 while spontaneous bioluminescence was not detected. The average intensity of individual bioluminescent sources in the SSLs was 30–200 times greater than the intensity of light emitters outside the SSLs. The two brightest sources of bioluminescence were identified as the euphausiid, Meganyctiphanes norvegica and the cydippid ctenophore, Euplokamis sp. Meganyctiphanes norvegica formed a SSL within 50 m of the bottom during the day and migrated to the uppermost 30 m of the water column at night, forming a near-surface SSL. Euplokamis sp., which produced exceptionally intense and long-lasting bioluminescent secretions, occurred within the near-bottom SSL in concentrations up to 7 m−3. Our findings indicate that traditional methods of identifying the primary light emitters in a region, based on light measurements from net- or pump-captured organisms, may have underestimated the significant in situ bioluminescence potential of euphausiids and gelatinous zooplankton. |
|---|