Bioluminescence, the ability of living organisms to produce light through chemical reactions, may have appeared 540 million years ago in deep-sea corals.
Scientists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History have discovered that a group of invertebrate marine animals living 540 million years ago could be the first organisms to exhibit bioluminescence, occurring approximately 300 million years earlier than previously thought, as reported by Independent on April 23. This new research was published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences.
Some species of octocorals (Octocorallia). (Photo: NOAA).
Bioluminescence is the ability to produce light through the chemical reactions of living organisms. Previously, scientists believed this ability first appeared about 267 million years ago in a group of small marine crustaceans known as Ostracoda. Bioluminescence has evolved independently at least 94 times in nature and plays a role in various behaviors such as camouflage, courtship, communication, and predation.
“No one knows exactly why this ability began to develop in animals,” said Andrea Quattrini, coral manager at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and a senior author of the study.
“We wanted to determine when bioluminescence first appeared, and octocorals (Octocorallia) are among the oldest animal groups on the planet that may exhibit bioluminescence. The question is, when did they develop this ability?” said Danielle DeLeo, the lead author of the new study.
Along with expert Catherine McFadden from Harvey Mudd College, Quattrini completed a detailed evolutionary diagram of octocorals in 2022, using data from 185 species. Based on fossil dating and various statistical methods, the research team found that 540 million years ago, the common ancestor of octocorals likely exhibited bioluminescence. Over time, octocorals today still encompass thousands of species with a relatively high rate of bioluminescence, indicating that this ability plays a crucial role in their success.
“Our research reveals the oldest case of bioluminescence appearing on Earth, doubling the previous timeline. Our findings support the view that bioluminescence, and light signals in general, are among the earliest forms of communication on the planet. Now we know that bioluminescence is an important form of communication for many animal species, especially those in the deep sea,” DeLeo commented.
